


Episode 3-16 - "Home Invasion"

by ComradeTortoise, stgjr, Turandokht



Series: Undiscovered Frontier Season 3 - "The Coming Storm" [16]
Category: Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (2003), Original Work
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-14 17:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComradeTortoise/pseuds/ComradeTortoise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turandokht/pseuds/Turandokht
Summary: An ancient foe of the Order of Swenya reveal themselves during a devastating strike against the Alliance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Teaser**  
  
  
  
_Ship's Log: 14 October 2643 AST; ASV Aurora. Captain Julia Andreys recording. The_ Aurora _is completing its final day in orbit over the planet Coromadir, the capital world of the Aurigan Coalition. We are finalizing trade negotiations with the Aurigan government that will provide for economic improvement in this region of the Periphery of Universe F1S1. In the long term it is hoped that an Alliance presence in this potentially-volatile region will maintain regional stability and contribute to the peace of F1S1.  
  
Everyone aboard is eagerly awaiting the completion of these talks. We are due to return to New Liberty to observe the Endangered Nations' Summit and the crew is eager to see how the Colony has fared. It seems to grow faster every time we visit. I wonder what it will be like the day the entire planet is settled._  
  
As Captain of the _Aurora_ Julia took the job of giving the Aurigan ruler a tour of her ship. Kamea Arano, High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition, was following Julia through Deck 20, along with her entourage. She was wearing a rich white gown fringed with red. A fine gold circlet sat her brow, the equivalent of a crown. A fringe of gray was showing through her locks of black hair and there were some lines on her face, especially around her brown eyes, to mark her as middle-aged. Given the data on the politics of the region Julia wondered if the gray also came from the delicate statecraft High Lady Kamea had been forced to practice over the last three decades. Her small nation was in a strategic position in the Near Periphery, on the Rimward border of the Capellan Confederation and Anti-Spinward frontier of the Taurian Concordat. The Federated Suns half of the Commonwealth was a few jumps away using Kearny-Fuchida space-fold drives. That combination was volatile enough, but the Rimward Frontier area of the Near Periphery was also of interest to the Free Worlds League and the Magistracy of Canopus. The Aurigans were thus at a balance point among mutually-conflicting powers, and such positions were inherently stressful for even interstellar nations, especially when they were comparatively less-advanced and developed than neighbors. This made the Foreign Office's interest in improving Alliance relations with them obvious.  
  
That information aside, Julia found herself enjoying the company of High Lady Kamea, who showed genuine wonder and interest in the _Aurora_. There was a quiet strength to her, an idealism tempered by political reality, but not broken. "I remember well the media broadcast of your vessel's first journey through our universe, Captain," Kamea noted. "I'm quite pleased to get a chance to see it firsthand."  
  
"I'm glad to give you that opportunity, Your Highness," Julia replied.  
  
"The stories I've heard about your ship, about you…" Kamea's eyes turned distant. "I am familiar with what it means to become a legend."  
  
"I did read up on your people before we arrived," Julia said. "I admire what you did when you were young, Highness. You saved your people from a brutal dictator, at repeated extreme risk to your own life."  
  
"Yes. Though that had not been my intention at first, I am sorry to say. I launched the War of Restoration to restore my birthright. I had to have my eyes opened by my uncle's brutality before I realized what I should be fighting for." Painful old memories showed on Kamea's face.  
  
"I know what you mean."  
  
"Do you, Captain?" There was no challenge in the question, just an honest interest in determining the matter.  
  
"I've seen my share of forced labor camps and gulags. Outright concentration camps," Julia admitted. She stopped walking, prompting Kamea and her guards and entourage to do the same. "I've seen pogroms in process. I've seen slavery at its worst. Even before the Reich."  
  
Kamea's eyes met Julia's. "I see," the Aurigan ruler said. "It never quite leaves you, does it? That kind of brutality leaves a mark even when you've never suffered it yourself."  
  
"You find out just what people can do to each other. Whether it's hate or ideology or just greed that drives them," Julia replied. "It's why this summit is important. There are so many nations, Human and non-Human, that have suffered. We can do something for many of them."  
  
"Though I am aware of the peoples that suffered under the Reich, I am afraid there is little I can effectively due," Kamea said. "If my people were wealthier, we could contribute. But we are not a wealthy people, not by the standards of interstellar giants such as your Alliance. We strain ourselves just to implement the terraforming technology your Multiverse has provided for our marginally-habitable worlds."  
  
"Given your reputation, your voice alone would help," Julia pointed out. "Sometimes a strong voice can be more important than a deep bank account."  
  
"On rare occasion." Kamea's response to the idea was bemusement. "Although my experience has shown that the bank account is often more useful."  
  
"I'm sure you had to deal with that issue when you were freeing your people," Julia observed.  
  
"I had help," Kamea admitted, frankly. "I suspect you and yours had a similar motivation when you approached the nations that formed the Alliance."  
  
Julia didn't have to affirm that yes, having wealthy and powerful interstellar states backing you up didn't hurt at all. Without the nations that formed the Alliance, the loss of the Facility would have ruined them. Instead the Alliance provided them the means to do even more to help the peoples of the Multiverse, even if it sometimes required political games and restraint.  
  
"The world always balances on the scales of ideals and reality," Kamea continued. "I suppose I am fortunate enough that I have not lost sight of the ideal, despite my position."  
  
"Ideals are important," Julia replied. "They give us something to work toward. Let us imagine making things better."  
  
Kamea laughed lightly. "Yes, you would be the idealist, wouldn't you Captain? If only everything worked that way."  
  
"It doesn't, I know. I've seen it." Julia let Kamea start walking before she did the same, signaling the others to follow. "Even the Alliance has member states that signed up for their own interests, not the greater ideals. I just hope they come to accept those ideals too. Just because idealism doesn't always win out doesn't mean we give it up. From what I've heard, you didn't."  
  
A small smile crossed the face of the older woman. "There were times I wondered. When the war was still fresh in my mind, and all of the choices I had to make. The hard choices."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Guldra," she said simply. "Leaving my closest advisor, my friend, to captivity at the hands of my cousin. All so I could gain the information I needed to divide my uncle and his regime from his allies. I had to harden my heart." Again old pain flashed through those striking brown eyes. "It was the hardest decision I made in the war."  
  
Julia nodded in understanding. A conversation two years in the past came to her mind, on the eve of the Nazi War, when she and Robert had argued about the possible necessity of leaving someone behind to save the ship. She'd argued in favor of the need to prepare for it, emotionally. Even if it meant she was the one left behind. It wasn't an easy thing to consider, and it was clear Lady Kamea once made that choice and still had a scar on her heart due to it.  
  
"I sometimes wonder if it makes me so much different from Santiago and Victoria," Kamea mused. "Everything they did, every hard choice, every sacrifice, was because they felt it necessary for our people. How different am I when I made such a choice?"  
  
"But you were, you are." Julia recalled the notes she read on the Aurigan Civil War, and the four year rule of the Aurigan Directorate. Santiago Espinosa and his daughter Victoria had been monsters, and the renegade Commodore Ostergaard's obsession with vengeance had crossed the line repeatedly. "You don't run gulags, Highness. You respect the civil rights of your people. You give them a voice in their government. You're in a completely different league from the Directorate, a better one. No matter what their motivation was."  
  
"That is kind of you to say, Captain. Very kind." The smile grew, a knowing look shining in her brown eyes. "History chooses heroes. I never expected it would choose me, and I still wonder if I deserve it. It pleases me to meet those who do deserve it, unquestionably."  
  
"I didn't start this to become a hero."  
  
"That is the fun part, Captain," said Kamea. "We never do." When Julia let out a small laugh, Kamea looked at her curiously. "This amuses you?"  
  
"I'm just thinking of what you've said," Julia answered. "And the fact that at least one of us always tries to be the hero. Honestly I think he's the reason President Morgan named his operatives 'Paladins'."  
  
"You are speaking of Captain Dale," Kamea remarked. "I was led to believe he lives on the _Aurora_. He is away?"  
  
"He is," Julia said. "No doubt trying to be the hero, as always."  
  
  
  
  
A universe and a galaxy away, the planet Alignon continued its quiet orbit around its star. The planet was not the most hospitable, even with its atmosphere being marginally breathable by the standards of oxygen-breathing species. A molten, rapidly-rotating core gave the planet a powerful EM field, shielding those who chose to stay on it from easy detection. Only a handful of very sophisticated communication technologies could pierce the interference of said field. Thus the planet was the place to go to hide or deal clandestinely with others.  
  
It was more than enough to explain the presence of the Shadow Broker's base on the planet.  
  
Gunfire filled the loading bay of said base. The security teams were made up of several local species - Turian, Batarian, Human - and armed with the mass effect firearms unique to the M4P2 Universe's Milky Way. They maintained fire at the group seemingly pinned in at the side of the bay.  
  
But only seemingly. With a moment of focus and a rush of metaphysical power bound to the life force of the universe, Robert Dale willed them to go flying back out of the bay. All did, thrown off their feet by a force they couldn't see. Using the momentary slack in the incoming fire, Robert tapped at his omnitool. "North bay, Talara!"  
  
" _On it!_ " replied the Falaen woman.  
  
Behind him, Dr. Liara T'Soni lunged forward and planted a biotic punch to the face of a Collector entity, driving it away from a cryogenic preservation pod. The Asari xenoarchaeologist's attack forced the creature back. Nearby her ally, a Drell named Feron, wrestled with an enraged Salarian, both seemingly intent on killing the other.  
  
The Shadow Brokers' guards were returning, but Robert's purpose in knocking them to the floor hadn't just been to stop their shooting. It'd been to buy time for the last of their group to get in position. The guards found this out to their detriment as Lucy Lucero dropped from the ceiling, creating a shockwave that sent them flying back again. Those who tried to stand their ground had their weapons cleaved into pieces by the shining blue lightsaber in Lucy's hands. A couple of them lost hands and forearms as well.  
  
Robert was free to act. He did by first sabotaging the Collector's ship, a standard model craft the being had undoubtedly procured to look like normal traffic to the rest of the galaxy. His lightsaber flashed to life with green light and he rushed aboard, running it through machinery and then jamming it into the controls. When he left he came to Liara's aid, sending projected force against her Collector foe that not only forcefully threw it away from her, but sent it flying into Feron's foe in the process. As the red-skinned Salarian fell in a heap with the Collector, Liara rushed back to the cryopod. "Where's our ride?" she asked.  
  
Robert answered by looking up as the bay doors opened. The _Jayhawk_ descended, its shape making it look like a great dark-gray bird swooping down toward them. Under Talara's control the ship turned to present its rear cargo bay ramp door to them. It was already in the process of opening before the ship landed.  
  
"Get aboard!" Robert cried out. "It's time to go!" At that Lucy backed away from the fallen guards and the handful still standing, lightsaber scything through the air to deflect incoming fire. Liara pushed the pod up to the ramp door and through it.  
  
"Your defiance will not avail you," the Collector hissed as it got back up, the red-skinned Salarian doing the same. The latter pointed a weapon at them. "You cannot stop what is coming."  
  
In lieu of a more badass kind of reply, Robert replied with a confident "We'll see about that" while helping Feron up. Liara stepped to the edge of the ramp with a pistol raised, her shots barking as she gave cover fire to the others. Lucy turned and ran, crossing the distance with speed beyond that of normal Humans. She got to the ramp as Robert did with Feron.  
  
The Collector charged at them. Robert turned and gripped the creature with invisible force. "They are coming," it said. "And there is nothing you can do to stop them."  
  
Before he could reply Liara's gun came up and fired once. The round slammed between the Collector's four yellow eyes, blasting through the brains of the being and killing it instantly. "We're done here," she said to Robert.  
  
He nodded and followed her into the armory. What guards still had weapons and intact limbs did their best to fire at the ship, but the deflectors easily caught their fire. The pulse guns on the wings blazed away, auto-tracking the Broker's men and forcing them to stay in some cover to avoid getting blasted. This ongoing fire disappeared from view when the cargo bay door came up and closed. The _Jayhawk_ 's inertial dampeners kept them from feeling more than a slight sense of gravitational force as the ship lifted off and shot up through the atmosphere. " _We're entering orbit now. Engaging cloak_ ," said Talara.  
  
"Well, that was fun," Lucy sighed. "I'm starting to get used to being shot at so often, Rob. I'm not sure I like it."  
  
"Tell me about it," he replied. Robert walked up to the pod, but he couldn't bring himself to look inside. "Is it…?"  
  
Liara finished a scan and nodded. "It is. It's her."  
  
"Shepard." Emotion suddenly threatened to choke Robert. It was one thing to be told Jen Shepard was dead. To feel it in the depth of his being when the moment came. But to actually have her body, to confirm it… He wiped at the tears forming on his face. "At least Hannah Shepard will have something to bury," he said.  
  
There was a… sense from Liara in response to that. As if she suddenly felt guilty about this whole arrangement. Which, to be fair, he could understand, since they'd nearly gotten killed fighting the Shadow Broker's personal troops, and had undoubtedly made enemies of the Broker himself.  
  
"Thank you for your assistance, Captain," Feron said suddenly. His voice had the unusual timbre Robert knew to come from Drell. "I'm not sure we would have made it off Alignon if you had not come to assist."  
  
"With everything I owe Shepard, you don't have to worry about apologies. And you're probably going to need to lie low. Going after me and Lucy is one thing; we're Alliance operatives, and the Broker may not want to declare war on the Allied Systems just yet. But you and Liara…"  
  
"I have contacts in other universes I will pursue," said Feron. "But thank you for the concern."  
  
" _Sir, are we returning to Omega?_ " Talara asked over the comms.  
  
"Yes, and I'm on my way to relieve you, Talara," Robert said. "Excellent flying."  
  
" _Thank you_ ," she answered.  
  
As Robert climbed the steps to head to the main deck and the cockpit, Lucy finished hanging her robes up. She sensed Liara's discomfort, her uncertainty, and turned to see her looking over the pod holding Shepard's remains. "Are you okay?" she asked Liara.  
  
"I am… no, I am not." Liara put a hand on the pod. "Although I did not travel with Shepard, we touched minds twice. I felt a link to her, a bond. It hurts to have it severed. And to know she died so terribly and so alone."  
  
"I get that," Lucy said. She walked over and set a hand on Liara's shoulder. "But you did the right thing going after her. These people, who knows what they planned to do with her body?"  
  
"Yes, I agree with you there." Liara sighed. "I suppose I will have to go to another universe as well. If that is enough to stop the Shadow Broker from pursuing me."  
  
"You talked about signing up for the Alliance before," Lucy said. "Why not now? With the war over, the fleet's shifting its way back to emphasizing scientific missions and exploration. A xenoarchaeologist would easily get a berth on a star cruiser. Especially one who knows how to defend herself."  
  
"It is an idea, and I will consider it. But right now I just want to get back to Omega. My contact will take responsibility for returning Shepard's remains and I can move on."  
  
Lucy wondered why they didn't just head to the Citadel and hand the remains over there, but then again, they'd arrived later. Liara's own arrangements were already in place. Less hassle, and it'd get them back home more quickly than putting up with Systems Alliance bureaucracy.  
  
"I am tired," Liara admitted. "I need some rest." She went to the stairs and added, "Please inform me when we arrive at Omega."  
  
"Of course," Lucy replied.  
  
  
  
  
It was the new day on the Alliance calendar before the _Jayhawk_ departed Omega. The massive space base and habitat, built into an eezo asteroid, was a center of commerce for the lawless Terminus Systems. Thus it was an open port, provided you paid the docking fees, or had someone to do it for you. Robert's operational budget was enough, but Liara directed him to a dock that was already paid for by her contacts. Given the time crunch they were under if they were to get back for his next job, Robert and his team opted not to explore the notorious station. They didn't even leave the _Jayhawk_ , merely seeing Liara and Feron off with Shepard's remains.  
  
Omega's star system was peculiar as having not one but _two_ Mass Relays. The Omega Relay was one of the most notorious in M4P2. No other ship that went through ever came back. Lucy put them on a course for the proper relay. "It'll take a few transits to get back to our space," she observed. "But we should make it to the _Aurora_ soon. Just in time for us to join Meridina in visiting Gersal."  
  
"Enjoy," he said. "And take the _Rio_. Just in case something comes up and I need you back immediately."  
  
"Since you say so," Lucy replied. "You?"  
  
"I'll be monitoring the Endangered Nations' Summit. Under orders from Morgan," Robert said. "A 'just in case' measure."  
  
"Have fun with the diplomats," Lucy said, smiling as she brought the _Jayhawk_ up toward the main relay. Lightning crackled from the relay's eezo core and within seconds the _Jayhawk_ was thousands of light years across the galaxy.  
  
  
  
  
The United Alliance of Systems was the dream of trillions of people. The promise of a Multiverse united against terrible threats. Because of the peculiar nature of Humanity across the universes, many Earths were included in its membership rolls. And Humans, while just averaging a few centuries of interstellar travel among the various universes, were a plurality of the population. One of those Earths, of L2M1, was where the Alliance was based. Other Human nations provided influence to the body; the humanitarian interventionism of the British Stellar Union of Universe C502 (among other states with similar views), the ability to include different economic systems and concepts through the memberships of the Sol System Republic and the Colonial Confederation from D3R1, the emphasis on personal rights and tolerance for voluntary modification of one's body from the Sirian League of L2M1.  
  
But the world that many considered to have the strongest influence on the young Alliance, the world with the strongest economy, the most advanced society, and the greatest population, was not one of the Earths at all. It was in a universe where Earth was a shattered, radioactive mess.  
  
That distinction belonged to Gersal.  
  
The irony was that the Gersallians themselves classified as near-Human. Externally they completely resembled Humanity. Internally, the differences in physiology were obvious, but yet not significant, such that many theories abounded, ranging from parallel evolution from similar environmental factors to the idea that some ancient species might have seeded modified Human genetic material on primordial Gersal.  
  
One of the things that made Gersal, and the Gersallians, a unique part of the Alliance was the Order of Swenya. Founded three millennia in the past by a great heroine who influenced all of Gersallian society, the Order stood as guardians of peace and justice and defenders of the innocent. The Code Swenya passed onto them, the metaphysical beliefs she taught, informed their actions, telling them to make the universe, the Multiverse, a better place by the alleviation of suffering. The Knights of Swenya - known as _swevyra'se_ in their tongue - would always be the first to raise their blades in defense of the helpless. Each and everyone would give their lives in the name of protection, believing their actions made the Multiverse a better place.  
  
But even such good intentions were not always enough. Now there was a growing ill feeling in the halls of the Order. Even as the Alliance spread its influence, aiding many other societies and crushing the Nazi Reich of S4W8, one of the most horrific hegemons to ever be known, the Order itself was becoming uncertain. Many felt a darkness growing in the world, a sickness of the spirit. And it could not be decided what had brought it about.  
  
_Mastrash_ Ledosh knew this, and knew it keenly. That knowledge pressed him onward in his work, the difficult work of translating an ancient tome: the _Life of Reshan_. Its secrets held the key to what was wrong, he was certain, and as he read more and more translated text, the more convinced he was of it.  
  
His apprentice entered his office. Gina Inviere was not Gersallian. Nor was she entirely Human, or baseline Human anyway. She was a Cylon - a manufactured infiltrator model of the machine civilization notorious for having committed genocide against the Humans who built them. Gina herself had suffered horrifically at the hands of the Humans she infiltrated. She would have ended her own existence, and possibly that of many thousands of Humans, had it not been for the intervention of Ledosh's former apprentice Meridina, who showed her compassion and mercy when she'd long given up on both sentiments. Now, she followed the footsteps of her benefactor, seeking to use the energies her own being connected her to in order to make the Multiverse a better place, even in opposition to the others of her kind.  
  
There was no hiding that Gina was concerned with Ledosh. For the past several months he was becoming more and more secretive. He performed only the minimum tasks necessary to his position in the Order, then retreated to his office or his cottage to continue studying the _Life of Reshan_. Sensing that concern coming up again, Ledosh closed the books together and looked to her. "Is everything alright?"  
  
"No, it is not, _Mastrash_ ," Gina said. "Everyone can feel it."  
  
"As can I. We are becoming an uncertain people, it seems."  
  
"Is it Goras?"  
  
"He was a symptom, not the source," Ledosh asserted. Below them, the fallen _Mastrash_ brooded in his cell. By all rights he should have been slain as a _swevyra'kse_ \- a wielder of the Flow of Life turned to darkness by giving in to his most negative emotions - but every time the motion came up the Order Council shied away from the choice. Ledosh suspected none wanted to admit Goras even existed now. He was a shame to the Order's record, having attempted to seize control of both the Order and the Gersallian Interdependency itself, until defeated in combat by Lucy Lucero. Ordering his death would mean admitting that shame. And after such a long existence without such issues plaguing it, the Order and its leadership were divided on how to proceed.  
  
"Through all of this, you devote yourself to the book," Gina said, her voice betraying the confusion she felt at this. "As if it is more important than the Order."  
  
"That is not the issue, Gina," Ledosh replied. "Far from it. This book and the information within may be our only hope of salvation."  
  
There was no hiding the skepticism Gina felt at that thought. But after consideration she realized her own being felt the same thing. At a deep fundamental level, at the part of her connected to the Flow of Life, Gina realized he may be right.  
  
"Time is short," Ledosh said. "I should resume."  
  
"Meridina is coming," Gina said. "To speak with you. Lucy Lucero and her student are coming as well."  
  
"I look forward to meeting them," Ledosh remarked quietly. "Until then, I must continue my work. Everything depends upon it."  
  
  
  
  
Like many worlds, Gersal had a traffic control authority to oversee ship traffic in orbit, especially craft going or from the surface.  
  
But none of its observers could see the vessel that descended through the atmosphere. Unseen, unheard, it flew toward the mountains outside of the planetary capital before coming in for a landing on the side of one of the mountains. Aboard, the single occupant brought up a viewer that showed the Great Temple of Swenya. Individuals milled about, small as ants, and that was how she thought of them. A brief snarl formed on her face, reflexive of her thoughts toward such beings, followed by a bemused smirk at their total ignorance of her presence.  
  
Her communications controls chirped and the woman turned, her ashen gray features focusing on the holographic projector built into the console. With a press of a button the projector came alive, creating a blue-tinted projection of another woman. A projection of her master.  
  
"Master, I have arrived," said the ship's pilot. "Undetected."  
  
" _Good_ ," her master replied. " _Keep only to your objectives. The Circle must be kept whole, Tisiphone. Do nothing that might break it._ "  
  
"I am aware of the stakes, Master. I will not fail you." There was, perhaps, a hint of frustration in the woman's voice. As if she didn't need her master's reminder of the stakes at hand when it came to the Circle. That was the entire point, after all.  
  
The transmission ended. The Tisiphone made sure her ship was still hidden before departing it. She looked down on the Great Temple of Swenya and grinned inwardly. She could sense the darkness even now. _Fools_ , she thought contemptuously. _You have no idea what is coming_...  
  
  
  
**Undiscovered Frontier  
_"Home Invasion"_**

 

 

The orbital space around New Liberty was busier than the _Aurora_ crew had ever seen it. Ships from across the Multiverse were present, bearing representatives of many governments to the summit being held below. This was certainly going to be the most attention that the Colony had ever received in years.  
  
Finding a geosynchronous position not far from a Federation _Excelsior_ -class vessel, the _Charleston_ , with the _Battlestar Pegasus_ to her starboard, the _Aurora_ took her place among the plethora of vessels currently present. Asari, Turian, Narn, Bajoran… all were among the present vessels. A new Federated Commonwealth _Alexander Davion_ -class battlecruiser, the _Melissa Steiner_ , kept a further orbit, representing the F1S1 universe's continuing adoption of Multiversal technologies.  
  
Aboard the _Aurora_ , Angela Delgado walked through azure-sheened corridors that mirrored the coloring of the ship's external hull. She passed some crew on the way, unavoidable on a ship of over two thousand personnel, before entering Science Lab 2. Her younger sister Caterina sat at one of the work stations, examining what looked like a simulation of a star. Cat was so completely fixed on the sim that she was visibly startled when Angel loudly asked, "Staring at stars _again_ , Cat?"  
  
After recovering from her startlement, Cat turned in her seat to face her sister. While the family resemblance was clear, the two were definitely not twins - indeed, Angel had half a decade on her sister - and they were very different physically. Angel was solid and muscular, with slight curves, her body honed by daily fight training that she'd followed with little deviation since she was an adolescent. Cat, on the other hand, was short and thin, being particularly conscious of the latter. She could run, but she'd never throw a punch capable of flooring a two hundred and fifty pound man.  
  
"The _Maimonides_ just finished a few weeks in the Fracture," she explained. "They found two more T'Vral Distortions, and Philippe sent me the logs so I could compare them to the one I found. This is really interesting stuff. It's giving us a better idea of how space is messed up in the Fracture.  
  
"Philippe? As in Philippe Duwala?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I thought he was science officer on the _Challenger_?"  
  
Cat shook her head. "No, he's been promoted. He's first officer on the _Maimonides_ now."  
  
"And that's a… what, another star cruiser?"  
  
"It's one of the first of the new _Juvap Ky-_ class science cruisers, actually," Cat corrected matter-of-factly. She quickly accessed the Alliance database and displayed the ship in question. It looked smaller than the _Discovery_ -class, with a flatter primary hull and drive hull with no neck between them, and two warp nacelles elevated slightly above both hulls. Between the nacelles, a large rollbar structure was fixed to the top of the primary hull where the shuttle bay normally went on Alliance designs; that was instead built into the top of the drive hull. "Nasira was promoted to command the ship, so she brought Philippe along to be her First Officer."  
  
"A science cruiser?" Angel asked, sounding almost incredulous. "We could end up at war with the Dominion any day and they're building these things?"  
  
"Well, science missions are still important," Cat replied defensively. "They started building them during the war so they could handle that stuff. That's what the pod is for. It's got the best sensor equipment in the Alliance fleet in there."  
  
"Well, I guess it's fair the nerds get a ship. In the meantime, want to get a meal tonight at Carranza's?"  
  
"Oh, uh, I was just going to have dinner in the Lookout," Cat said. "Or maybe just from my quarters' replicator unit. I've got some papers to look over. They're supposed to reschedule that symposium that I was going to present the T'Vral Distortion readings to and I've got to keep up on things."  
  
Angel gave her a look. "You're not going down? You always like to visit Carranza's."  
  
"Senora Carranza is good, yeah, and she cooks it like Mama did… but I've got things to do, Angel."  
  
Angel wasn't fooled. With Violeta gone, Cat was becoming more insular, more withdrawn, as if all of her interest in socialization came through her girlfriend and without her, there was just the science. But Angel was tired of letting Cat remain a recluse and wasn't about to take no for an answer. "I was hoping to introduce you to Tony," she said. "And maybe we can go shopping through the old Market, afterward? You always did have fun with that."  
  
"Angel, I just… I don't really intend to go down this time. I've got things to do up here."  
  
"But Caaaat…"  
  
A bewildered look crossed Cat's face. She turned and watched Angel put on the Pout and continue, "I miss you so much, sister, I want to spend some time with you. Pleeaaase?"  
  
"You're… you're using the Pout." Cat blinked. "You're wheedling me and using the Pout."  
  
Angel nodded. The Pout stayed on her face. It looked almost comical on her, since Cat always saw her big sister's face fitting anger and determination more.  
  
"That's… that's my thing," Cat said. "You're using my thing on me. I'm supposed to be the one doing this to you!"  
  
"Pleeeeeease?" Angel put her hands together in a pleading gesture.  
  
"This is so not fair," Cat protested, but a little giggle came from her. "You're not playing fair at all."  
  
"When it comes to family, I do what I have to," Angel said. She kept the pleading hands and the Pout up.  
  
"Okay, okay, dinner at Carranza's," Cat said in defeat. "We'll beam down in what, two hours? Around 1700?"  
  
"Sounds great." Angel wrapped her muscled arms around her sister, a tight hug just shy of rib-crushing. "I'll see you there!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Julia, as was her custom for this time of the standard day, was in her ready office going over paperwork. A glowing report from Consul Hreep, the Alakin diplomat assigned to Coromadir, brought a small grin to her face. The Aurigans' Parliament had already ratified the new trade treaty with the Allied Systems and negotiations were underway for a military assistance treaty to provide them with ships for fighting pirates. That was going to be a trickier thing, Julia imagined: the Taurians and Canopians would likely not feel too threatened, but the Capellans were already suspicious of the Alliance's expansion in influence on its Periphery border. Any further agreement would have to be delicate to avoid Capellan hostility.  
  
She was moving on to a report from Chief Talaverda on crew readiness when Robert arrived. She gave him a sardonic look; after all of these months away, he still hadn't shaved that damn beard or cut his hair back to normal length. "You know, your Grandpa would've thought you were a hippy looking at you now," she pointed out. "And Dad would've agreed."  
  
Robert chuckled and sat down across from her. "I'm sure they'd say that about this too." He playfully levitated a reader from the surface of her desk. "I'll probably cut it eventually."  
  
"The sooner the better," she insisted. She grinned only a moment before asking, "How is Doctor T'Soni?"  
  
"Grieving, like the rest of us," Robert replied. "Something's going on with her, but I didn't want to pry given how raw her feelings were."  
  
"She did the right thing. Finding Shepard's remains. Now Captain Shepard can bury her daughter."  
  
"That's what I thought." Robert put his hands together on his knee. "I am a little concerned about the Shadow Broker. He's not going to take what happened well. I'm a little worried he'll retaliate against Alliance interests."  
  
"He might, or he might stick with his reputation of business being business," Julia pointed out. "The last thing he needs is to get an entire interstellar government after him."  
  
"He usually manipulates those. At least the people inside of them," Robert noted. "I offered Feron and Liara asylum in the Alliance. But they turned me down. Feron's going off to who knows where and Liara, well, I'm not sure what she'll do after making the arrangements for Shepard's remains. Lucy recommended she sign on with the Stellar Navy as a civilian science specialist."  
  
"That's one thing she could do," Julia agreed. "So, the summit."  
  
"It's important to a lot of people," Robert said. "I'll be helping to provide security."  
  
"And to help Dr. Meier network," Julia added, grinning. "When's he arriving?"  
  
"Within the hour, on a Gersallian transport. I'm going to meet them at the terminal." Robert gestured toward the window and the view of the planet below. "Are you going down at all? Besides Beth's pre-summit dinner, I mean."  
  
"Oh, I'll be spending some time with Lee," Julia admitted. "The _Pegasus_ is here escorting Vice President Zarek to attend the summit on behalf of New Caprica."  
  
"Ah." Robert nodded once at that and gave her a reassuring grin. "I'm happy you're enjoying… well, I'm not sure what it is?"  
  
Julia matched the look. "Beyond really good sex with a handsome man who understands what this all means…" She gestured toward her desk and all of the report-laden digital readers on it. "...it's really not much. I'm not exactly in love with Lee, Rob. He's just…"  
  
"Someone who understands you," Robert offered. "What you are, what you do. You can find companionship with him." Almost as an afterthought he added, "And enjoy sex."  
  
"Well, I've not exactly had a lot of luck in that department," Julia remarked drolly. "Before Lee, and outside of you and the others, the only guy I spent any time around turned out to be a clinical sadist and racist who tortured one of my friends because she was going to get him and his dad convicted of abusing immigrants."  
  
The reference to Phil Duffy was not a welcome one. Robert remembered the detestable jerk and his vicious father. He thought back to the night that Duffy Senior had held the gun on him, the same day that Robert had discovered the Darglan Facility. "I try not to think of the Duffys," Robert admitted. "Or what they did to Lucy." _What Phil might have done to you, if he had the chance_.  
  
Whether or not Julia actually knew what he was thinking, it was clear that came to mind too, the way she shivered for a moment. "He was an evil piece of crap, and after I broke up with him… well, if he wasn't also a coward, I bet I might have ended up in that room," she admitted. "His dad wouldn't have stopped him. At best, he would have killed me to protect Phil."  
  
"I'm glad it didn't come to that." Robert shuddered at the idea of it. "As for you and Lee, whatever it is, I hope it works for you. You always focus so much on work, Julie, that I worry about you. You deserve happiness beyond fitness reports and requisitions."  
  
"Thank you," she said. "I wish you had something like that." A small, wry grin formed on her face. "Although the way Zack talks, I'd almost think you and Druni had a thing." The moment Robert blushed she clapped her hands and laughed. "A ha! You did, didn't you?!"  
  
"We became friends," Robert replied.  
  
"Did you count her spots?"  
  
" _Julie!_ "  
  
"Well, did you?" Clearly enjoying herself, Julia added, "And I hear things about those Silver Moon types. They get a little freaky, I mean. Some real BDSM stuff."  
  
"No, not anything like that," Robert sighed. "Tom and his damn porn…"  
  
Julia's reply was another giggle of amusement. "Cultural appropriation is what they call it, I think?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"So you _didn't_ tie Druni up while counting her spots." The giggle and matching grin turned lecherous.  
  
"I'm… dammit, I'm going to wring Zack's neck, I swear."  
  
"Good luck, the _Koenig_ is at DS9 doing the joint fleet exercises with Starfleet," Julia said, still grinning in a way that spoke of how much she enjoyed teasing him. "And here I always thought Zack would be the first of us to have sex with an alien."  
  
As the blush on Robert's face deepened, Julia's laugh filled the room.  
  
  
  
  
The _Rio Grande_ dropped out of warp at the edge of Gersal's Orbital Traffic Control Zone. It took only seconds for the computer systems to verify a safe landing course for the small ship. As Ledosh's apprentice, Gina had given them an access code to the Great Temple's small spaceport annex, located on the far end of the Temple complex. While Lucy brought them in for a landing, Talara was given a chance to admire the Temple's great structures, the rounded buildings being unlike the Human buildings she'd yet seen or her own species' favored methods.  
  
Gina was waiting for them when they landed. "Now is not the best time for a tour," she said quietly, nodding to Talara in particular. "The Council is in session again."  
  
Meridina was frowning. "I sense a… darkness here. Is this truly what the Order has fallen into?"  
  
"It is, I am afraid. All efforts to bring the others out of their uncertainty have failed so far." Gina gestured to a nearby skycar. "I've already made the arrangements. I would go with you, but I must remain here to help _Mastrash_ Ledosh."  
  
"Of course. _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Gina Inviere."  
  
Gina returned the blessing and left them to the Gersallian-make skycar. It was of a dark blue coloring, an utilitarian look that seemed to put function over elegance. Lucy was aware of how Gersallians designed somethings. Certain things, like their buildings, got elegant-looking appearances, while others were function over form designs.  
  
Lucy took control of the craft so that Meridina could helpfully point out the sights to Talara. The gleaming spires of Jantarihal glinted in the sunlight as they flew down from the mountains into the valley where the city center was placed. "This reminds me of the Royal City," Talara said, thinking of the capital city of Fala. Jantarihal clearly impressed.  
  
"When you're the capital city for an interstellar civilization for a few millennia, you tend to get impressive," said Lucy, admiring the view herself while flying them through the approved traffic lanes toward the residential areas. An arcology at the edge of said area was their destination. It was a sky-rise in appearance. A parking garage for skycars was built into the twentieth floor, which is where she flew them. Meridina's personal code opened the garage for them, allowing Lucy to quickly park the craft.  
  
They found the Lumantala gathered as a unit. Meridina's family greeted all warmly. Gamaya led the way in giving Talara a close look. "You're the first Falaen I've personally met," the young woman replied cheerfully. "And you're a _swevyra'se_ too! By the Light, that is fascinating!"  
  
"This is Lucy's first student, then?" asked _Mastrash_ Karesl, Meridina's father, sizing up Talara as well.  
  
"She is, _Mastrash_ ," Lucy said politely.  
  
"The first student can be the most important. They shape the teacher as much as the teacher shapes them," Karesl noted. Beside him, in the two-seated chair, his wife Drentiya remained quiet and content.  
  
This was the first time Talara was meeting Meridina's family. She recalled Lucy's explanation of the relationships. Meridina was the eldest of the four children and the only one to be like their father, someone with a life force sensitive to the Flow of Life. In order from her came her brother Qalkrsl, sister Gamaya, and sister Leniraya. Qalkrsl's wife Utiriluma sat beside him. Her belly was swelling, doing much to explain the contentment in Karesl and Drentiya, as they prepared to become grandparents. Like Qalkrsl and Drentiya, Utiriluma was a telepath, although the two had decided to become farmers.  
  
In addition, Penrine, Leniraya's enthusiastic girlfriend and former partner in all sorts of childhood mischief, was snuggling next to the youngest of the Lumantala, making their physical relationship no secret. Leni was a telepath as well, although Penrine was not. Gamaya, the third of the children, was the only one without life energy talents or telepathy. She was a budding scientist that Meridina and Lucy likened to Caterina.  
  
"I hope I do well, then," said Talara. "Lucy has taught me much already."  
  
Lucy said nothing, but the others could sense her bittersweet feelings. She viewed herself harshly for bringing Talara down to Germania, causing her student emotional and mental anguish beyond the strain of combat.  
  
"I do so enjoy seeing your world," Talara continued, sensing her teacher's feelings and wishing to change the subject. "It is every bit as beautiful as Fala. It makes me eager to see Fala join the Alliance."  
  
Immediately Talara sensed she might have touched on something of a nerve, but Karesl gently replied, "If that is the wish of your people, I hope they do as well, and that they help make the Alliance stronger."  
  
Mastrash _Karesl is opposed to Gersallian membership in the Alliance_ , Lucy quietly informed Talara mentally.  
  
_Oh._ Talara couldn't stop herself from blushing in embarrassment.  
  
Karesl smiled gently at her. "Do not concern yourself, Talara. My political views do not preclude my belief that the Alliance is a good thing. It can be, and your people would make it stronger and closer to the Light."  
  
"Ah, yes, I believe so as well, _Mastrash_ ," Talara said respectfully.  
  
The gathering started to move to the dining area. Meridina remained behind, sensing her father's interest in speaking. "There is much wrong with the Order," Meridina said. "The darkness there… it has been many months since I last visited, but I can hardly imagine it would come to this."  
  
"Goras' fall damaged us in ways we could not foresee," said Karesl. "If Maklir were alive we might have come through it. He had sufficient respect to overcome the uncertainty. But Tinaran is not Maklir. He is content to give it time, and continues to hope for Goras to overcome his feelings."  
  
"He will not. A rage and hate that strong…"  
  
"I know. He was one of my closest friends, but he always stood closer to darkness than the rest of us. He felt very strongly about everything." Karesl's face fell. "I have lost all those I called friend."  
  
Meridina immediately knew what he was saying. "I have heard _Mastrash_ Ledosh has been preoccupied."  
  
"Obsessed, some are saying. He spends all of his time in 'private research'. The Council is beginning to grumble about his failure to perform all expected duties of his position," Karesl confided. "If you have a chance, Meridina, please go to him. Find out why he is keeping us out. Keeping me out. I know we've had our disagreements, but I still consider him a friend."  
  
Meridina nodded. "I will try." As she spoke, she wondered just what was causing such behavior in her old master. Why had his work with that book taken over his life?  
  
She decided she was going to find out, even if she had to camp out in Ledosh's office to do it.  
  
  
  
  
The New Liberty spaceport was busier than ever, given the number of people coming to petition the Endangered Nations' Summit or to otherwise follow it. Robert couldn't remember ever seeing so many people around it. He suspected, given the number of people, that every hotel and inn in the Colony was fully reserved. At least the spaceport seemed capable of coping with the increased flow, but that was little surprise. New Liberty's status as a thriving colony of cultural and social significance to the Allied Systems meant it had the largest spaceport for a colony of its size. It reminded Robert of the airport in Kansas City he'd seen as a child when taking family trips to see his mother's family in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  
  
He stood out among the crowd, if only due to his uniform. His Stellar Navy uniform used the silver branch color for those in intelligence. A aiguillette chain from the left shoulder to the middle of his chest was meant to mark staff officer status, although that was mostly a blind. Sometimes he thought of simply ditching the chain since Paladins, like Citadel Council Spectres, were not operating under cover. His status as a Paladin was not hidden, even if some of his operations could be considered classified.  
  
His presence was due to one of those operations, as was the man he was accompanying. Chaim Soloveitchik was a senior member of the New Liberty Rabbinical Council. He came dressed officially in that role with all of the adornments of a rabbi from what was once the Russian Empire of an 1850s Earth. He was an older man, with a graying beard and hair, and a face that could easily pull of everything from a stern look of disapproval to the warm, polite look he had now.  
  
The display gave official notice that the transport liner _Halraca_ was disembarking at Gate 3. The two men arrived as the first people disembarked. Not many did, as the _Halraca_ had other stops on its route. Taking up the rear of those exiting were three men. Two Robert recognized, the third he did not, but he could guess at the man's identity given those he was expecting.  
  
Colin stepped out of the gate first. He cut a somewhat imposing figure despite his medium height, he was on the athletic side of a medium build but that wasn’t what created the visage. It was the way he moved, the way he looked at his surroundings. He wasn’t relaxed like he was around other telepaths and his husband in particular, he was on edge; like he felt vulnerable. Immediately behind him was Max, who was in his late fifties and looked it. His hair was steel grey under his kippah and his face was care-worn. He was talking animatedly with a third man who had to be Rabbi Isaac Liebgott in a cheery-sounding Yiddish. He looked like he could be anywhere between fifty and his early eighties depending on how well-preserved he was and the well-manicured beard disguised any wrinkles on half his face. He wore a nice suit and Kippah, mostly because his function here was secular.  
  
Colin spotted Robert and cracked a smile. “ _Guten Tag, oder ist es Abend_?”  
  
" _Guten tag_ ," was Robert's response, returning the smile. Outside it was only starting to get into the afternoon of the planet. New Liberty had something like a 24.5 hour day, so it was close enough to Earth to not be too disruptive on the Circadian rhythm. Switching to English, Robert said, "Everyone, this is Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of the New Liberty Rabbinical Council."  
  
" _Shalom_. It is good to see you, Isaac." Chaim extended a hand and nodded his head in greeting. His English was thickly accented with what generally sounded Slavic, reflecting his family's origins in Lithuania. "Thank you for coming to see us. We are quite interested in discussions with the Jews of the E5B1 universe."  
  
“ _Shalom!_ ” Isaac replied and shook hands. “It’s a pleasure, believe me. On our Earth we have lengthy medieval discussions in our _Mishnah_ about what multiple universes would mean for Judaism. Now I live to see those discussions realized.”  
  
"Rabbi Lipsky of the C5O2 universe's Rabbinical Council of Israel and Palestine is with us as well, so the discussions should become quite involved."  
  
_They are part of the British Stellar Union_ , Robert thought openly. _In the C5O2 timeline the British Empire adopted inclusionary practices and became the Union over time, so it didn't fall like in our timelines. Their capital is in New Delhi now, and the Royal Family is primarily Indian._  
  
Max relayed that information to Isaac who lit up like the sun. “Oh this should be fascinating. On our Earth, it took World War Three for the Palestine issue to be resolved. That said, I would like to introduce you to my associates. This is Max Cohen, _nominally_ here to protect me from unregistered telepaths, but really he’s a friend and can speak about the experiences of Jewish telepaths in our universe. And then there’s his minder, Dr. Colin Meier, he’s a goy and mostly German but we don’t hold that against him.” Isaac winked.  
  
"Germans are fine. Russians, well, another story. Especially Cossacks." Chaim happily accepted handshakes with them both.  
  
Robert kept the smile, given Chaim was clearly going for humor with the exchange. But there was an old pain there, one Robert easily came to from the reference. Memories of a violent pogrom he and the others intervened in briefly came to mind before he banished it.  
  
Meanwhile Chaim turned his attention to Max. "Please, Mister Cohen, feel free to join in the discussions when they begin. The point of view of a Jew who can see into our minds and hearts… I can only imagine what it means for you to have that ability. A blessing and a burden, I suppose."  
  
“Mostly a blessing,” Max remarked “Were it not for external considerations… but I’d be more than happy to.”  
  
"Yes, Robert has spoken to me of these things." Chaim's expression took on gravity. "There have been misconceptions that must be cleared. I am grateful to serve the truth by helping to do so."  
  
"It's good to meet you in person, Rabbi Liebgott," Robert said amiably, offering his hand as well. "Welcome to New Liberty."  
  
“Good to meet you too Captain. My congregation was close with the telepath community on Omega, thank you for helping them.” He enthusiastically shook Robert's hand. He might be old but he was far from frail and managed a firm handshake.  
  
Meanwhile, Colin had yet to actually speak beyond his initial greeting, he seemed lost in thought or worry of some sort, but then he finally did. “It’s good to meet you Rabbi Soloveitchik, and thank you for your hospitality. We are… somewhat unaccustomed to being welcomed so well.” He’d known what to expect intellectually, but he’d been so used to fear and suspicion walking into a room or exiting a spacecraft that it was strange when it wasn’t a thing.  
  
"I understand. I spent most of my life under Tsar Nicholas's rule. I am told the word that future Humans use for him is 'anti-Semite'." Chaim raised a hand toward him that Colin accepted, while using the left to gesture to Robert. "But my young friend here and his comrades, they gave us a world where we would be welcome. Where _all_ would be welcomed. It has not always been easy, politics is completely _mishegas_ I will say… but it is better than the Cossacks and their knouts!"  
  
Colin and Max laughed and Isaac greeted that knowledge with a wry smirk. “I can imagine… Probably a bit like the League of Non-Aligned Worlds that way, and the name says everything you need to know about how that body used to function.” Colin replied.  
  
Before the conversation continued, a woman's voice called out, "Robert Allen Dale, just where do you come off not coming by to say hello?"  
  
Robert chuckled and turned in time to see his cousin, Beth Rankin, approach, wearing a formal suit. Her secretary, an African man, and a bronze-skinned woman followed, both similarly attired. "I'm already invited to the dinner tonight," he reminded her.  
  
"So I've heard." The grin told him she was directly responsible for that.  
  
"Gentlemen, my cousin, Elizabeth Rankin, Governor of New Liberty," Robert said, now looking at them.  
  
"My aide, Yasmin Ghali, and my secretary, Ndedi Kiessou," Beth said, introducing the woman and man in that order.  
  
Isaac stepped into his role immediately, with just a touch of humor. “A pleasure to meet you Governor. I’m Rabbi Isaac Liebgott and this my ‘mental bodyguard’ Max Cohen. Also his co-conspirator and ‘minder’ Dr. Colin Meier.”  
  
“If you’re cut from the same cloth as your cousin I suspect we’ll get along well.” Colin followed up with a grin.  
  
"I hope so, Doctor," Beth replied, grinning.  
  
"I take it you're here to welcome Senator Sriroj?" Robert asked.  
  
"I am. Her ship is due soon," Beth revealed. "As is Princess Syrina's." Her thoughts, and Robert's, made it easy for the telepaths to pick up the respective identities: Sriroj Thiang was a Thai woman and Senator from the Sol System Republic and the Alliance Senate President, and Princess Syrina, ruler of the Principality of Daynuro on the Dorei-colonized planet Astranai, was the current President-General of the Dorei Federation, the Head of State of the central Dorei government, a slightly ceremonial position that was elected annually by the assembled Heads of State of the component Dorei governments.  
  
"Director Anjilo is here too, isn't he?" Robert asked, knowing full well the answer was yes given the materials he'd read. Having the Alliance Senate President and _two_ Heads of State of Alliance member governments was of prime importance to a Paladin assigned to observe the meetings.  
  
"He is." Beth nodded. "My staff is going insane. We haven't had this many leaders on planet since the Alliance Constitution was signed." She turned her attention back to the others. "Rabbi Liebgott, you and your entourage are welcome to attend the pre-summit dinner tonight. As my personal guests."  
  
“Excellent! Thank you. Formal dress code or can my associates relax a little bit?”  
  
“Isaac, you know what happened the last time I wore a turtleneck in public…” Colin faux-scolded him.  
  
"It is an unofficial function," Beth said. "Although many of those here for the summit will attend, so I'm afraid it's not a case of Casual Fridays."  
  
“Oh casual friday for us is still somewhere between business casual and business semi-formal…” Max nodded. “But Colin doesn’t need to wear dress-blacks or anything?”  
  
"I wouldn't think so," Beth said. Colin visibly relaxed. The peacoat was far too stuffy and restricted movement far too much.  
  
Miss Ghali looked up from her active omnitool. Unlike Robert's, it was greenish in color. "Madame Governor, Traffic Control just informed us that the _Tratan_ finished landing. They'll be at the terminal in five minutes."  
  
"Princess Syrina's personal yacht," Beth said. "I'd better get going. I look forward to seeing you this evening, everyone. I'm sure we'll have a lot to discuss."  
  
The way she said that sounded innocent, but Robert could sense she had something more in mind, and he suspected the others did too. He said nothing as she walked away with her staff members, not quite rushing to the private gate at the end of the terminal where Princess Syrina would be disembarking.  
  
_She’s scheming something._ Max thought to Colin. _It would be rude to pry so I didn’t…what do you think? Good, bad, unrelated?  
  
We’ll find out… _ Colin replied, but he felt uneasy. Robert gave him a concerned look, but it wasn't hard for him to guess why.  
  
You okay? Max asked.  
  
_No, but it’s not related to this. Since we got into this universe…  
  
Oh. I guess there are limits to that after all._ Max replied patted Colin on the back. _You’ll be back home soon enough._  
  
While Robert wasn't privy to the actual context of their thoughts, he sensed something of them. He was curious as to what Beth was planning as well. _My big cousin the politician_ , he thought. _And when this began, she was struggling to keep a crafts supply store from closing down_ …  
  
  
  
  
After dinner, Meridina excused herself from the family home and left the arcology. She flew the skycar back to the Temple. Again, she felt a darkness permeating the area, a malaise of the spirit that she knew unsettled the others as much as it did her. Not only did she ache at the sensation, a small part of her burned with a single worry.  
  
_Is this my fault?_  
  
The Temple Knights gave her no problem in entering the office area. They could tell what she was coming to do, to say, and she thought they actually appreciated that. This did not bode well to her, not at all, and she entered Ledosh's office determined. The inner door was locked, so she set off the door chime. " _Mastrash_ , it is Meridina," she called out. "I wish to speak with you." When no answer came she insisted, "I am here and we must speak, _Mastrash_. We are all concerned for you. You have changed so much. You ignore those who are concerned with you. You ignore your own student! This is not the Ledosh who trained me to be a _swevyra'se_."  
  
Several moments of silence passed before the door slid open. Meridina entered and found Ledosh at his desk, two books open and his hand in motion on a blank piece of paper. An ink pen was in his hand, writing in plain, flowing Gersallian. It was not the beautiful lines he normally drew when writing, but it was clear Ledosh was more concerned with rapidly writing information, not making it look impressive. Indeed, even now he clearly placed more importance in writing than her presence. She watched him closely examine one book, the older looking one, before turning to the other and rifling through pages until he found an entry that satisfied him. "Meridina, my apologies," he finally said. "I am simply very occupied."  
  
"So I have heard," she said. "And it concerns many who care about you."  
  
Ledosh nodded. "I was certain Gina was speaking to you. I would have explained, but the Council… they would not understand. They would take the book from me."  
  
"I am told the Council is starting to become concerned as it is." Meridina slipped into a seat. " _Mastrash_ , this research is consuming you. I can feel the burden of it on your _swevyra_. Please, speak to me."  
  
"The darkness grows," he said. "We all sense it now. But nobody seems to understand what it means."  
  
"It is a darkness of fear. Uncertainty."  
  
"No. Not just that." Ledosh looked up from the books at her. His eyes pleaded for understanding. "Our time is running short, Meridina. A great darkness stirs in our future. The Order itself is threatened."  
  
"You refer to the Darkness? The ancient threat that Swenya helped to fight?"  
  
"Perhaps it is them. Perhaps not. What I do know is that I feel it growing stronger with each passing day. We are running out of time, my student." He tapped the book. " _The Life of Reshan_. So many secrets, but we never thought to look for them. The answers were right there the entire time."  
  
"The answers to what?"  
  
"To everything we lost when Kohbal rose up against the Order and the Interdependency," he replied. He tapped the book. "This changes _everything_ , my student. It reveals the truth of what is happening. It is why we must be ready."  
  
"For what?" Meridina leaned in. "What must we be ready for?"  
  
She sensed Ledosh's worry and it frightened her. The knowledge he was carrying, that he was learning, it was dangerous. She felt that keenly. It would challenge the very core of what their people knew. To spread the word might divide them. Make them even more susceptible to the forces of darkness.  
  
Just as it seemed he might confide in her, a tone came from the comm system. A voice, speaking in Gersallian, stated, "Mastrash _Tinaran has called for a Council meeting. All_ Mastrasham _of the Council, please assemble._ "  
  
Ledosh let out a sigh. He thumped both books closed. "They are agitated enough with me, so I must not keep them waiting," he said. His eyes fixed on Meridina. "I will explain all in time. For now…" _Keep yourself and Lucy safe, and be ready for anything. There are dark forces at work, and the Order is not ready to face them._  
  
Meridina wanted to know what he meant, but his defenses went up. He waited patiently for her at the door, signifying his desire that she depart with him. She was of a mind to insist on taking the books with her, to get to understand what he was working on, but he didn't need to point out that wouldn't work. The Order kept security trackers on all copies of its most venerable and old texts. If she removed it, it would be detected, and only those on the Council could do so. The Temple Knights would quickly apprehend her if she tried.  
  
"Go now. Tomorrow, return with Lucy and the others. I will explain everything I have learned."  
  
_Let me take your notes_ , she urged. _We can…  
  
No. No, this must not leave the Temple. Now go, I cannot make them suspicious_.  
  
Meridina wondered what he meant by that, but she could not bring herself to distrust his judgement. Ledosh knew what he was doing. She could sense that much, at least. If he said there was a threat, there was one. She carefully constructed her mental defenses as she left. He followed her out and they went their separate ways,.  
  
  
  
  
Caterina opted for civilian clothes for the visit to New Liberty. A white skirt that went to just below her knees, with pink lace fringing, and a pink and purple sleeveless blouse were her picks for the trip. She arrived at the Transporter Station to find Angel ready for her, wearing a sleeveless tank top over a visible sports bra that bared her muscular belly as well as her arms. The jean shorts were higher than Cat's skirt, revealing her legs.  
  
The reason why her sister was wearing that kind of clothing was the figure beside her. Cat had yet to meet Lieutenant Anthony Zah, a security officer assigned to the _Aurora_ after the Battle of Germania. He was a handsome man, bronze-skinned, with his dark hair long and kept in what Cat couldn't help but think of as Native American fashion even though she knew that the tribes could have differing styles. Brilliant gray eyes glistened with a sort of amusement, but were warm and welcoming. He was in a plain white muscle shirt and jean shorts that, like Angel's, stopped at the knees, but darker in color than her's. Like Angel he wasn't just fit but muscular, built like a professional fighter.  
  
Cat wondered if she'd be jealous if she were straight. But she doubted it, since she didn't really go for muscle-ly girls. At least, not for how Tony would look if he were a girl and not a guy, but then again, if Tony was Toni instead, "she" would look a bit like Angel, and that was just eww to think about and Cat abruptly cut off the entire chain of thought, blaming it on the fact that she'd been separated from Violeta for nearly three months now.  
  
"Hey Cat, you made it," Angel said, grinning. "So this is Tony, my new sparring partner and boyfriend."  
  
"Sparring partner seems to be the more important part for her," Tony teased, grinning. He didn't speak with as much of an accent as either. "So, it's been a few years since I've been down to New Liberty."  
  
"Oh?" Cat asked. "You came from our Earth, right?"  
  
"Yeah," he said. "I came to the Alliance through New Liberty, but that was just a few months after the Alliance was founded. New Liberty wasn't as big then. And I didn't get a chance to find out about Carranza's. Thought it was Italian food, honestly, going by the name."  
  
"Ha!" Angel matched his grin, looking very happy. "Let's go correct that."  
  
  
  
  
Carranza's was one of the first eateries to open in the Colony, founded by one of the first wave settlers plucked from a bunch of "coyotes" by the Facility crew early on. Among those so-plucked was Julio Carranza, who had identified his older unmarried sister Beatriz and his mother Luisa as family that would be endangered by what happened, resulting in Robert and the others picking them up from Ciudad Obregon before the coyotes' friends could come after them. Luisa and Beatriz, it turned out, were great cooks, and as the Colony's economy developed they opened the restaurant to cater to the laborers planting the first fields and building the first non-prefab housing. Replicated food products were eventually replaced with "proper" food as interplanetary and interuniversal trade opened up and locally-grown food was made available. The Carranzas now had a successful restaurant in the heart of the Colony, one recognized by all residents as a place to enjoy good food and good times.  
  
Julio, who ran the tables and the busboys while Beatriz and Luisa ran the kitchen, quickly responded personally to the arrival of the Delgado sisters. He brought them to a favored table and personally set about taking Tony's order. "It is good to see you with someone who makes you smile, Angela," he said to Angel, who made her relationship with Tony clear by the way they held each other. "What will you have?"  
  
Tony inquired into the available drinks and ordered a beer. Cat made a small face. "Beer? Ew, not for me."  
  
"That's because you were used to your prim and well-cultured Sirian gamer girl," Angel retorted playfully. "You two had wine. We go for beer."  
  
They finished ordering and settled into their place at the table. Angel and Tony kept their behavior just proper enough for being in public, but Cat had the feeling her sister was eager to get her boyfriend back to her quarters. She banished that mental image with the thought of _Ick!_  
  
"Your sister tells me you're the smartest person on the ship," Tony said. "Everything people say seems to back that up."  
  
"Jarod's the smartest, really."  
  
"Yeah, but Jarod's got some kind of mutant brain or something, he cheats," Angel said. "If you had that kind of brain you'd be even better at 'Pretending' or whatever it is than he is."  
  
"If I had that kind of brain, I wonder if some corporation would have come along and kidnapped me too," Cat wondered aloud. "Then I'd have grown up a prisoner."  
  
"Only until I found you," Angel swore. "Then I'd punch a lot of people and get you out."  
  
Cat knew she'd try, but given what the Centre was capable of, she knew that a similar organization wouldn't be so easily dealt with. "I'm just glad something like that didn't happen." She turned her attention to Tony. "So you're… Navajo, right?"  
  
"Mostly. One quarter Mexican. Or more like one eighth Mexican and one eighth Tohono O'odham, or Papago as some people call them."  
  
"Tohono O'odham works," Cat said. "Doctor Walker is one too. Although I'm not sure your tribes got along?"  
  
"They mostly don't like Apaches. We're cousins of the Apache, don't always get along with them either. And as always the whites loved to take advantage of that," Tony noted.  
  
"Then they turn around and growl at us to 'go back where we came from'," Angel groused. "Like they've always owned the land."  
  
"Rob and his family weren't like that," Cat said quietly, remembering a lifetime of getting picked on by at least some of the kids. Usually it wasn't so bad, if only because the bullies knew that Angel would find out, either from Cat or from Susannah Dale, who was in the same grade. But that didn't always work. Some bullies were smart despite the fact they were bullies, and Cat was always a small girl for her age and class.  
  
It could've been worse, of course. Cat spent years terrified of what they'd do if they found out she was into girls instead of boys. The habits that resulted certainly helped keep her in the closet even after the Facility was found.  
  
"It's all different now anyway," Cat said. "We've got the Multiverse. Actual aliens. Making fun of other Humans is silly. Not that I want people to start being bigoted toward aliens, of course…"  
  
"There are always bigots," Tony remarked. "Always."  
  
"They're just not as common here," Angel noted. "So, Cat, have you had any messages from Vee lately?"  
  
"A couple," Cat confided. "Her ship might still be at Gersal. They were repairing after some big fight they had in one of the new universes being explored. But things have been crazy for the _Huáscar_ since their shakedown ended so she's been real busy." Cat made a face. "And misses having a Captain who lets crew book holodeck time for recreation."  
  
"It's not that uncommon. Captains only allowing holodecks for training and such," said Tony. "Captain Kreeptk had the same rules back on the _Talsham_."  
  
"Captain Creep-k? Some of those Alakin names are really…"  
  
Angel stopped speaking when she noticed a woman walk by the table. A hand with dark skin briefly passed over their table and a piece of paper fell out, as if absentmindedly dropped. Angel kept her eye on the woman, convinced from the momentary glance that she'd seen her before.  
  
This allowed Cat to be the one to snatch the paper. She read it and frowned.  
  
"What is it? A secret admirer?" Tony asked. "Or some stalker?"  
  
"It's not for me," Cat said, looking to Angel before reading it aloud. "'Need to see you Angry Angel. Now. Problem for Colony. Corelo.'" The look on her face betrayed her desire for an explanation.  
  
The bewildered look on Angel's face indicated she wasn't going to get one.


	2. Chapter 2

Angel's reaction was to push against Tony. After a moment he moved the way she was nudging, eventually slipping out of the booth. Angel followed him and stood up. "What is it, Angel?" he asked her.  
  
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Angel insisted. "Cat?" She held out her hand. When Cat didn't react immediately she insisted, "Now. I need to find out what's going on."  
  
"We can come with you," Tony offered. "Back you up."  
  
"No," Angel said. "Hernan's people will get suspicious if I show up with anyone, even my boyfriend and sister. They'll accept me."  
  
"Why just you?" asked Cat, wondering what was going on. "And Hernan… you mean Hernan Corelo? That Cuban guy we rescued who turned out to be an actual crook?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why are you hanging out with him?" Cat asked, her voice just shy of making it a demand.  
  
"I don't hang out with him!" Angel barked. "I keep an eye on him, and he lets me know if something's up. Now give me the message, Cat. I need to find out what's going on."  
  
It was with hesitation that Cat complied.  
  
"I'll be back soon. Let Julio know he can hold my dinner for a bit. You can eat yourselves if you like." With that Angel turned and went for the door.  
  
They watched her go. "Your sister is a stubborn lady," Tony sighed, sitting back down.  
  
"Really stubborn," Cat agreed.  
  
"It's why I like her, though. She sticks things out."  
  
"And because you think she's hot," Cat noted wryly.  
  
To that Tony smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Strong woman. Love that. Knew she was something special the moment she threw me to the ground. _In the gym_." The final bit was clearly added to clarify the context of what he was saying.  
  
"So you're from our Earth, then?" Cat asked. "I mean, I know some people come out to join the Alliance."  
  
"Some? Ha. During the Nazi War the Alliance had a lot of people signing up, from what I saw. Everyone wanted in on shooting Nazis." Tony smirked. "And who wouldn't want to come out here? Replicators mean cheap food. There are so many colonies and planets that finding a home, finding work, it's a lot easier than back home. People live longer. Go to the right place and racism is almost non-existent. My aunt's telling me the tribal elders might start begging people to stay, so many of them want to go. It's even worse in places like Mexico."  
  
"It is pretty cool out here," Cat agreed. "I got to come out of the closet without being run out of my home." Noticing that Julio was about to get their food, Cat leaned in toward Tony. "Don't break her heart, please."  
  
Tony silently nodded. "I don't plan on it."  
  
"She's… it was hard enough closing the door on Robert last year. Just, be good to her, please?"  
  
Tony answered with a nod. Quietly, a slow teasing smile came to his face. "I'd probably better. Given how smart you are, you could probably come up with some ways to melt my insides with science and nobody would be the wiser."  
  
At that Cat giggled. "The threats are Angel's thing, not mine!" she protested. "Science is for good!"  
  
"And blowing up Nazis?"  
  
"Blowing up Nazis _is_ good!"  
  
"Ah. Well, don't worry about it then. I don't know where this is going, but I will make sure not to break your sister's heart. I just hope she doesn't break my ribs given how…"  
  
"No! No no, no details!" Cat insisted. "I'm into girls, and she's my sister besides. I don't want to hear about the bedroom stuff!"  
  
"Actually, I was talking about the fight training," Tony replied, smiling. "But it does apply there too."  
  
"Ugh," Cat groaned, after which dinner was served.  
  
  
  
  
The Market Square of the Colony was bustling with activity even on normal days. WIth all of the visitors for the summit, it was even more active, with locals offering everything from locally-produced snacks and drinks to hand-crafted jewelry. At one end of the square, a band played upbeat Makossa music in the Prince Eyango style.  
  
Julia stood in the middle of the square and allowed herself a little smile. That she'd contributed so much to this place… it could be as humbling as it was fulfilling. She was in standard uniform, since she would be attending the Governor's dinner party soon, and so stood out a bit in the crowd. Some of those passing by called her happily by name. She didn't immediately recognize all, but she knew enough of them, even if the comparative number dwindled. The day when virtually every colonist had met her personally during the Facility ops was long gone.  
  
"Hey." Lee walked up to her, in Colonial Navy uniform.  
  
"Hi." She took his offered hand and planted a small kiss on his mouth. Lee Adama was quite handsome, and she enjoyed his company, regardless of anything else. "Welcome back to the Colony."  
  
"It's gotten bigger," he noted.  
  
"Yeah. It always does." Julia looked around. "After New Caprica, the first New Caprica, I actually wondered why you didn't just move here. There's plenty of land."  
  
"True. But my people still want their own world."  
  
"So you don't feel like you're going to get assimilated." Julia nodded. "I understand. I mean, I do."  
  
"We're still happy to be friendly with New Liberty, just as we are with the Alliance," Lee assured her. "People like Clara make it impossible for us to feel otherwise."  
  
The memory of Clara Davis, a smiling young woman full of compassion, came to Julia. Circumstances meant she'd only met her that one time in the last few years, during the Founding Day celebrations the prior year when Lee and Kara Thrace let her accompany them. Clara's death at the hands of the Cylons was one of many tragedies from their attack on New Caprica, and it had nearly broken poor Zack as well.  
  
"How is Zack?" Lee asked.  
  
"Doing better. He has his command again," replied Julia. "He's off the alcohol."  
  
"And he's not here?"  
  
"No. With the Dominion such a threat now, the fleet's holding joint exercises with Starfleet, and he was sent to join them," Julia explained. "We might be too once the summit is over. Maybe you too."  
  
At that Lee shook his head. "No, I'll be spending the rest of the year - on your calendar I mean - in S4W8. The _Pegasus_ is being assigned to aid operations in the Anti-Spinward sectors."  
  
"So you'll be chasing von Platen's ships."  
  
"Among other things," Lee said. "Mostly it'll be humanitarian missions, I'm told. The Reich stripped those colonies bare to fund their war effort. Most of them are barely functioning, quite a few are being abandoned. The local Remnant groups are among the more militant, and are known to raid former Reich colonies even if they're not German. Von Platen's just making the whole thing worse."  
  
"So, before we go off to be feted by the Governor, would you like to take a tour?"  
  
"I was thinking of renting one of those propeller aircraft," Lee confided. "Take a flight to see the Colony from above. What do you think?"  
  
"That sounds great," Julia said, already imagining seeing their community from such a vantage point. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
  
  
As Angel had expected, the African woman who left the note was waiting for her outside of Carranza's. She was led to a motorcycle with a backup seat. With it, her driver weaved through the inner-Colony traffic and to the major roads leading to the outskirts.  
  
At one time the Cut Throat had been at the fringe of the Colony. Its expansion meant it was no longer on said fringe, but more the midway point, near the warehouse district. Angel stepped in and was not out of place for the grungy dive. Attendees looked to her and there was at least one wolf whistle, which silenced when she shot a glare at the offender. She kept a ready stance and stalked to the bar with the kind of walk she usually reserved for the fighting ring.  
  
The Cut Throat's owner and proprietor was a man named Hernan de Corelo, a Cuban black marketeer that had been picked up by the Facility crew in a liberation of a Cuban prison. Angel noted he was still heavy set, just shy of being outright fat. His dark hair was slick and combed, his light brown eyes locked onto her. But there was no welcoming smile this time. She could almost smell the fear on him. The worry. Without a word he gestured toward the rear door. A stout man in a dark suit opened the door for her while Corelo went through the door behind his bar.  
  
The back room was mostly empty. An X-shaped wooden cross with empty manacles was still on the stage, undoubtedly a prop for the more risque entertainments that the Cut Throat provided for select clientele. A spot of blood on the corner spoke of the other kind of entertainment that might be provided in this room, involving fisticuffs instead of just cuffs.  
  
Or maybe they were from the same. Angel didn't know if she wanted to know.  
  
She slipped up to the bar and took a seat at a stool as Corelo poured himself a shotglass of highly illegal Romulan ale. "Alright, why is my dinner with my sister and boyfriend being delayed?" Angel asked pointedly.  
  
"You know me, Angry Angel," Corelo answered, his accent even thicker than Angel's. "I wouldn't bother you if something bad wasn't going down."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Word's getting out," he said in a low, hurried voice. "A lot of the offworld gangs are pulling out. Been doing so for a few weeks."  
  
"Why? It's competition or something?"  
  
"That's what I'd think normally, but nobody's moving in to take up the market space," Corelo explained. "I can't explain. Neither can most of my contacts. 'cept one."  
  
"That being?"  
  
"Got a friend with the Miqo'te organization," Corelo said. "A couple days ago, he tells me these Aristo _pendejos_ from A5R0, they're real mad at the Alliance for busting up some attack and killing two of theirs. Might be payback is in the works. That's not good for us." A dark look crossed Corelo's face. "But not for them either. Nobody attacks my home."  
  
Angel fiercely approved of Corelo's sentiment. With the Facility long gone, she and the others had two homes: the _Aurora_ , and New Liberty Colony. As far as she was concerned, anyone who tried to hurt either was going to feel her fists. "So do you have anything for me? Anything I can take to Almerda?"  
  
"Already sent him warnings. But Colony Security, they're overstretched with this summit thing. They're not looking hard. Most are just happy the other gangs are leaving, thinking they've made it not worth their while." Corelo gave his head a shake. "I've got a bad feeling, _amiga_. This summit thing, if someone's looking to send a message, the summit's the place to do it."  
  
"Yeah." Angel frowned and thought about it. "Hell, I'm on shore leave anyway… do you have anything for me? Anything your contacts have told you?"  
  
She was answered with a nod. "Some loads came in through Ys'talla. Supposed to be for transshipment. Lots of folks like New Liberty for that."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"They still haven't moved," Corelo continued. "It's a Miqo'te operation. Mostly legit, but not always. Now they've got a shipment that's not going anywhere."  
  
"Have you sent anyone in?" asked Angel.  
  
"Can't. Not without giving up my source," Corelo replied. "Bad for business, Angry Angel. Nobody'll talk to me if I get my sources spaced."  
  
Angel couldn't argue that. "Give me the address," she said. "I'll check it out."  
  
"I need guarantees."  
  
Angel gave him a look. "Okay. My ex-boyfriend, the guy who hauled your ass out of that Cuban prison, is a regular Goddamned Paladin of the Alliance. He can stick his nose in anywhere he wants, and he's got mumbo jumbo powers stuff to explain how he figures things out. As for the rest of us? We're backup to him. Nobody'll know otherwise."  
  
Hernan seemed to consider what she said before nodding. He took a scrap of paper and scribbled a series of numbers followed by the name of a road. "This is the warehouse. My people say security is tighter than it looks. You'll want to check things yourself before going in."  
  
"I plan on it," Angel said, taking the paper. "Keep in touch.'  
  
"You know I will, Angry Angel," Corelo said as she left.  
  
  
  
  
Cat and Tony were already finished with their meals when Angel got back to Carranza's. They could tell something was wrong by the way she got back into her seat and didn't immediately slide up to Tony. She looked back down to a scrap of paper in her hand and read it again, barely registering when Julio brought her enchilada platter to her.  
  
"Angel, you okay?" Tony asked.  
  
"No," she said. "I'm not." She glanced to him and then Cat. "You two finish your dinner?"  
  
"They already had them finished, so… well, yeah." Cat was apologetic as she spoke.  
  
"It's fine. Let me finish mine, then we'll head to the park." She gave Tony an intent look. "I may need your help with something. Something potentially dangerous."  
  
"I'm here for you, Angel, thick and thin. You know that."  
  
"Same here," Cat pledged.  
  
It was clear Angel didn't want Cat mixed up in it, but she knew better than to coddle her sister. Cat would end up involved if she chose to be, whether or not Angel wanted. "Alright. Let me get started then." She began to eat her dinner while the other to watched in silence, exchanging worried looks.  
  
  
  
  
Julia and Lee arrived at the two story-tall Governor's Mansion together. Located a block from the Government Building, the Mansion was a humble affair as the abodes of heads of state went, although it had just enough room for the assemblage of guests inside. A Middle Eastern woman with a headshawl that matched the color of her dark blue Colonial Security uniform checked them against the guest list and waved them in. The Mansion didn't have a foyer or greeting hall so much as it had a small guest living room. Julia noted the presence of an Indian man in a Japanese kimono and a male Bajoran vedek of dark coloration, speaking amiably in a corner.  
  
"Ah, Commander Adama, Captain Andreys." Zarek, the Vice President of the Colonial Confederacy, approached in the company of Sonek Pran, a diplomat from the United Federation of Planets Julia had met several times before. Pran was a unique individual, not just a hybrid of two species but four; each grandparent was from a different S5T3 species, making him partly Bajoran, Betazoid, Vulcan, and Human. He reminded her somewhat of Woody Guthrie with his appearance and demeanor. "I've heard you've met Ambassador Pran?" he asked Julia.  
  
"I have. Ambassador."  
  
"Captain. My congratulations on your promotion," said Sonek. "And on your part in ending the war."  
  
"Thank you," she replied. She didn't remark on how they might have another one soon, given the Dominion.  
  
"Commander, I'd like to introduce you to…"  
  
With that Zarek pulled Lee away, leaving Julia to walk further into the house. She found Robert in the dining room, still in uniform and talking with Annabelle, Beth's wife. Annabelle was biracial, with a brown skin tone, the daughter of a slave and her owner from Earth C1P2. As Julia recalled, she'd been forced into a similar relationship before the Facility crew raided the plantation and rescued its slaves. Now she was wearing an elegant blue and green evening dress, full-sleeved, and looked every inch the elegant hostess, even if the function was effectively an unofficial dinner. "Robert. Annabelle."  
  
"Julia, it's so good to see you," Annabelle declared. Her voice was gentle and smooth, with a slight hint of a Southern drawl to it. She offered Julia a quick hug, her light blue eyes glinting with happy satisfaction. This was the first major function for Beth since the two got married. "You've been busy since the wedding."  
  
"Exploring, negotiating, everything," agreed Julia. "I'm so happy for you both."  
  
"I know, dear." She gave Robert a knowing look, which he let pass. "So when are you going to get some grooming done, Robert? You look like one of the rednecks from back on the old world."  
  
Julia snorted a laugh before catching herself, leaving Robert to sigh and say, "I'll cut it when I'm ready. It just felt like the right thing given everything happening in my life."  
  
"You mean that all of the life force stuff makes you feel like some kind of monk or hermit," Julia teased.  
  
Annabelle laughed at that. "Beth has shown me those ridiculous movies. That's the sort of entertainment you had as children?"  
  
"Among other things."  
  
"I shudder to think of what the old masters, may they rot, would have done with television. Or holonet programming now." Annabelle checked the time. "Well, I'd better see how Deborah's doing in the kitchen. She's making a special set of dishes for the Turian delegate. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find good dextro food. Y'all enjoy yourselves tonight."  
  
They watched her walk off. For a moment she was intercepted by two other figures in the dining room, recognized quickly as Princess Yvonne Steiner-Davion and Isis Marik, respectively the youngest sister and the daughter of the rulers of the Federated Commonwealth and Free Worlds League of F1S1. "I see we've got Inner Sphere royalty present," Julia observed. "That's surprising. I didn't think this was the kind of summit they'd go for?"  
  
"Well, it's the first big diplomatic gathering since the end of the war," Robert noted. "And while it's mostly humanitarian, some of the things being discussed here might have an effect on actual politics in various powers. I've heard the Vietnamese from S4W8 are already accusing the Capellans of forced Sinization on their population. And the delegate from the Turkish population on New Anatolia is complaining that FedCom authorities are engaging in economic sabotage."  
  
"The Harris Station Charter's supposed to prevent these things," Julia grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, well, the wording left some cracks," Robert lamented, thinking of how things had gone. The way the Reich operated, even a small Germanized minority on a planet made such a world a full part of the Reich, so under the Charter those worlds were considered German worlds that Coalition powers were allowed to claim in the post-war settlement. "Some of those worlds are coming up with deals like the Bulgarians and Japanese on Drachenfeldt made with the Turians, but that's not working everywhere."  
  
"I read the reports from the _Huáscar_ ," Julia said. "They made the difference there."  
  
Colin, who had been in the kitchen perked his ears up at the thoughts related to his favorite ship in the entire Alliance and sauntered in with a small plate of cheese. “Given the ship’s Captain and Operations Officer I’d expect nothing less.”  
  
They turned to face him. "I was wondering where you were," Robert said. "Julia, this is Doctor Colin Meier, Metapol. Colin, Captain Julia Andreys of the _Aurora_ , and my closest friend in the whole wide world."  
  
Julia flashed him a small grin before extending a hand. "I've read the report on Tau Atrea," she said. "A pleasure to meet you."  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” Colin replied and shook her hand. Nothing showed on his face or in his body language, but upon taking her hand he did send Robert a telepathic message. _Closest friend huh? Robert, you love her as much as I love Gene and it’s mutual. What are you two doing?  
  
We're being what we always have been. We decided years ago that adding a romantic element might just ruin it_ , Robert replied. As he said so he remembered when they'd agreed on that. After the escape from the Facility, .the roll down the collapsing mound. The thrill of survival and the warm kiss that followed. And then that little worry, that to take it to that level might undermine what they already had… _It works for us_ , he added, a little too intently.  
  
_I don’t believe that and neither do you, but it’s your life…_  
  
Not privy to this conversation, Julia finished the handshake and remarked, "I hope you're enjoying your visit to our Colony."  
  
“Very much so! Though I’ll admit the others are doing more diplomacy and networking than I am. I’ll confess I’m not actually… at my best at the moment. Distracted.”  
  
Julia needed only a moment to realize why. "I suppose you miss Mr. Hendriks? For telepaths being that close would be different than for us."  
  
“In our home universe - or I should say galaxy because we haven’t gotten beyond the rim yet - we’re never actually apart. I haven’t been without him for over a year. Thirty thousand light years and I can still p’hear his thoughts, p’see through his eyes. Not now. Now I reach for him and it’s just...void.”  
  
"It must be like losing a limb, almost? Or a piece of your heart." Julia had an idea what that was like. The months earlier in the year, when Robert was off learning to control his expanded power and Zack had left due to his collapse from Clara's death… those had been the loneliest months of her life. She never wanted them gone like that ever again.  
  
“It’s a bit like that, yeah.” Colin replied. It was more, but it was the closest approximation a mundane could conceive of.   
  
Colin was the first to notice the nearby mental presence. Robert did a moment later, although he sensed it more as a burst of feeling suppressed by will. Feeling that was part fear, part anger, and all distrust. Julia first noticed the short, almost dwarfishly-so, man who approached. He was dressed well, in a formal suit of navy blue and black. Curly dark hair topped a yellowish face, with dark eyes and a thin face. The man was not an attractive one, but there was a sense of power to him, and his eyes scanned everything as if looking for danger.  
  
For Robert, the identifying mark was the crest on the pin over the man's heart. It was a phoenix of red and orange color, wings spread widely, over a pair of shattered gray manacles. The insignia and crest of the Byron Free Colony.  
  
Julia noticed the smaller man too. And the pin. It made it impossible for Colin to not know, although it was rather clear he did. She approached the man first. "Governor Kuhln, correct?"  
  
"Golmar Kuhln," the telepath replied. "Captain Andreys. Captain Dale." Golmar looked to Colin. There was no hostility in his voice, nor even his face, simply a wariness that was clearly instinctive. "And Doctor Colin Meier of Metapol, I believe? I'm surprised to see a Psi Cop present in these events."  
  
“Well nominally I’m here to keep an eye on Mr. Cohen.” Colin winked. _You have nothing to fear from me or mine Golmar. Not here, or anywhere else. Even if I weren’t inclined toward better relations with, well...relations… I have a slaver and imminent genocide problem to deal with.  
  
You are no doubt here to present the Corps' case to the summit_ , Golmar cast back. Aloud he nodded to Robert as well. "Captain Dale. An honor. I'm afraid we haven't met, but I know how much our Colony owes to you for its existence." _Dangerous, Dr. Meier. I am no fan of the Corps, but I don't want to see innocent telepaths butchered because EarthGov finds out you're trying to win foreign allies.  
  
Call that admission an olive branch. But no. Not at the summit. We’re here to talk about Judaism._  
  
Robert nodded and accepted Golmar's hand. He could tell the two were in telepathic conversation and gave Julia a look to make sure she knew too. Aloud he said, "People should have a choice, and it's wrong that Earth denies it to the telepaths of her population. I hope the Summit recognizes the situation for Earth's telepath population and provides help in the matter." _Both of you will need it, I think. And there are other matters to be worried about_.  
  
Golmar acknowledged Robert with a nod. _A good cover. I recall the reports from Omega VII on your closeness to the Jewish community there._ A solemn look came to Golmar's face as he looked to Colin. Aloud he said, "I am aware that an attack was made on your enclave some time ago by the militants of the Underground. You have my condolences. Too many people have let their bitterness blind them to the possibilities of the Multiverse. The Free Colony disavows such behavior and will assist in bringing terrorists to justice." It was evident that this was an audible olive branch to match the one Colin had mindcast. It also backed up the public statements of Golmar's government at the B5 negotiations.  
  
“Thank you Golmar, and we know you do. You’ve always been a man of conscience, we know that.” Colin paused briefly wondering how to continue. “We disagree on a great deal, but terrorism, slavery, and mass murder are something we can all agree are wrong, and I’m thankful that the multiverse is full of like-minded people.”  
  
Robert noticed Beth at the edge of the room. She gave him and Colin a meaningful look and Robert realized what she wanted. "Doctor Meier, I'd like to introduce you to someone," he said politely while Beth slipped through the door. "If you'll follow me?"  
  
“Of course.” _If you can spare a few moments later Golmar? There are some things you should probably be made aware of. They concern all of us._ Colin followed Robert out.  
  
  
  
  
Night came to Jantarihal. Meridina returned before her father did, given the length of the Council meeting, as she anticipated Ledosh would be too tired and would need rest. As she retired to her room, tired given the day, Meridina wondered if she was making the right decision.  
  
There was more to it than that. Try as she might, Meridina could not rest. There was an energy in the air, a dark sense of foreboding that even here filled her with dread. Whatever was driving _Mastrash_ Ledosh to devote all of his timing studying… she was feeling it. A gnawing uncertainty tore at Meridina, leaving her unable to rest.  
  
And she was not alone. She felt it in Lucy as well. And Talara could sense it in both, robbing her of rest. Finally Meridina got up and left her room. Lucy and Talara met her in the hall and all were in quiet agreement.  
  
Most of the family were retired to individual rooms as well, so they disturbed none on their way out of the home and into the garden on that floor of the arcology. There the three sat on the ground and began to meditate. Together they tried to find peace in this place. To feel the warmth of the Flow of Life so that it would settle their spirits.  
  
Flashes came to them, images. Ships burning. Cities aflame. Rubble.  
  
Talara was the first to break the quiet. "What does this mean?" she asked. "Will there be another war?"  
  
"Possibly," Lucy answered, worry clouding her blue eyes. "But this… there's more to it than that, I think. I feel something elusive. It's like just being here is clouding everything."  
  
"A veil of darkness on my thoughts," Talara described. "That's what it is."  
  
"Yes." Meridina opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I feel it too. It is no wonder the Order feels such a spiritual sickness as it does. There is something stirring that we cannot yet see."  
  
"Do you think this is why Ledosh is acting so weird?" Lucy asked.  
  
"I believe so, yes," she said. "He warned of a darkness around us. That we are running out of time."  
  
"Then we should get to the bottom of it," Talara said. "Let's speak to him."  
  
"Yeah. We should." Lucy nodded. "And we won't take no for an answer."  
  
"Agreed." With that, their path was clear. But none could escape the fear that it might be too late.  
  
  
  
  
While the dinner continued on in other rooms, Beth led Robert and Colin to an upstairs room, a study from the look of it. Once they were inside she locked it and hit a key. "Security sweeps the Mansion daily," she explained. "Just in case. But to make absolutely sure, this room has an electronic privacy field. One of the best. Paid for by the Alliance, in fact." She gestured to comfortable recliners of red and blue color, taking a dark blue one for herself that matched her formal gown. "As you might guess given New Liberty's reputation, we've got strong connections to the Telepath Underground Railroad, Doctor Meier," she said. "At least, to those cells willing to play by our rules. So I'm completely aware of the secret terms of the recent treaty between EarthGov and the Alliance. And I think I know a way to turn those terms to our advantage."  
  
Robert sensed Colin's interest in that announcement. There was good reason for him to be so interested. The secret term, on the face of it, was a good thing for dissenting telepaths in the Earth Alliance. It established that Earth authorities would not subject Alliance vessels along the Earth-to-Gamma 12 trade route to searches, allowing unregistered telepaths to flee Earthspace aboard Alliance ships with minimal risk.  
  
But while that looked good on paper, in actuality, the virtual Aristo takeover of the telepath trafficking market made it a terrible deal. Ships trafficking telepaths to Aristo slavers could easily exploit the line in question, especially with bribery of Earthforce and other Earth authorities. With the ships they had, they might even raid legitimate Underground ships to steal away telepaths for slavery. Given just why the Aristos wanted telepath slaves, letting them claim just one telepath was too much.  
  
“I’m listening. Our fleet isn’t large enough to patrol that much space, and we certainly can’t legally or even openly inspect ships. The only way we can do much of anything is if we suspect a specific ship of slave trafficking and then...it’s rather all or nothing, if you understand my meaning. Get the wrong ship, and… our survival depends on secrecy.” Colin really did not like having to kill innocent people, and had thus far not ordered a ship taken unless the intelligence was particularly good, but eventually he’d be wrong.  
  
Beth knew perfectly well what he meant. "And providing you the names of our ships will not go over well with the cells for obvious reasons. But there is a solution. Have you heard of Teyan Station?"  
  
“The name is not familiar, no."  
  
"I remember the name from somewhere," Robert offered.  
  
"It's the new customs clearing station for our trade routes out of Gamma 12," Beth revealed. "Just inside of the Alliance's zone around the colony, and it oversees the only active jumpgate currently in our space." She shifted in her seat slightly. "It is the natural clearing station for the Railroad once it reaches Alliance space."  
  
“I think I see what you’re getting at. Would it be possible for the Corps to establish a presence on the station? We’d be doing the Free Colony a favor by screening for actual criminals, as well as preventing the Colony from being used as a…” he struggled to find an appropriate term “unwilling accomplice in kidnapping. In exchange, we recover kidnapped children, and are able to make positive contact with those fleeing the Corps and try to convince them to stay.”  
  
Beth set her elbows just above her knee, her hands clasped together. "I can't dictate to the Railroad, but I believe I can sell them on those terms, with qualifications," she said. "I'm aware your Corps practices communal child-rearing. Even if the parents in question would prefer a nuclear family. It is a matter of Earth law, from what I've heard. As you may be aware, some of those who flee are telepaths who never truly wanted to be in the Corps. And they have born children who were put into the communal creches. If a child has a parent who has left the Corps and is on the Colony or elsewhere in the Alliance, I can tell you the Railroad will insist that the parent get a shot at assuming custody. The same will likely apply toward close relations like siblings. I can sell the Railroad a policy on returning children only if you can agree to allowing a neutral arbiter to decide such cases."  
  
“That is reasonable. Best Interests of the Child applies, and the child gets a voice in the hearings if they’re over the age of eight. Preferably a Gersellian telepath should arbitrate to insure against any sort of coercion.”  
  
"Agreed," Beth said. Robert noted she was writing no notes, but Beth had a good memory and could remember such details. Notes, even secure ones, could be dangerous anyway. "This will work then. And given the slaver threat, I believe I can convince the involved captains and other cell leaders to accept the Psi Corps knowing their ships if the Corps guarantees to not infringe on their passage. This will let you determine our actual ships from those that are only pretending to be Railroad vessels. That way your all-or-nothing response is directed at the right people." Beth smiled slightly. She was a kind woman, very gentle, but she knew something of the way slavers operated, and even the gentlest person could feel satisfaction in ensuring they faced severe retribution for treating people like property. "We'll even give you the identities of suspected slavers based on our own investigations."  
  
“Thank you. That will aid us considerably.” Colin replied and he meant every word, sending the relief he felt very gently into her mind as well as through his voice.  
  
"I can add something of my own," Robert said. "As a Paladin I have access to Alliance Intelligence's reports and other materials. I've been actively searching for information relating to these slavers, including individuals and connected ships, financial reports, shell companies. Even whoever in EarthGov and other agencies might be working with or against them. I'll make arrangements for this information to get to both of you." By doing this Robert was stretching his authority greatly, at least in the letter of the law. In the spirit it was a different matter, and he felt certain Morgan and Maran and Sriroj would agree. "I'm also told by Julia that certain Earthforce captains are not happy with the growing slaver threat and that no matter how they feel about the Corps, they'll be open to helping deal with said slavers regardless of what EarthGov or their superiors might want. Julia might be able to make suitable arrangements that will allow some coordination. I'm told her Earthforce contact is already experienced with having to bypass the brass, and EarthGov itself, to do the right thing." He gave Colin a quiet look, certain he would be aware of just which Earthforce officer was being discussed given his knowledge of events, and showing understanding of reluctance for that channel should it come.  
  
“I know who it is, and that’s fine.” He actually smirked a little. “She’s family, after all. Distant to the point of estranged, but family.”  
  
"Then it seems we have a deal," Beth said. Clear satisfaction showed on her face. Robert matched it, knowing how Beth loved this kind of thing. "I'm sure Earth didn't intend this when they proposed the safe lane."  
  
"Maybe they'll end up wishing they'd taken Julia's idea of visas," Robert mused. "Instead of stabbing their own people in the back while threatening us."  
  
“We’re not their people.” Colin gently corrected. “Never have been… well, unless you consider it in a certain way.” He sent a glyph to Robert and Beth of the Crawford Memorial House, or as he and many others called it, the Massah House.  
  
"You should be their people," Beth snarled, noticing the reference. Both men could feel the surge of reflexive anger and the related memories, of holding Annabelle close in their bed as her lover wept from the dreams caused by memory, the memories of the pain and violations she'd endured in a building all-too-similar to the one Earth Senator Lee Crawford had once gloried in owning. Without further comment she stood. "I'm glad we sorted this out, Doctor. Now, if you'll pardon me, as the hostess I really must be getting back to my party. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening."  
  
They followed Beth out and back downstairs, taking their time so as to not return with her. After getting to the bottom of the wood-paneled stairway Robert thought of how much he wanted to tell Julia about this. She felt so bad about what happened at B5, but they were going to use the agreement in a way she would feel better about. _I'll have to talk to her later, in secure surroundings_. He looked back up to see Colin glancing around at the home. "Crawford was a piece of work," he said. "I wonder how much of it was his desire for the influence to continue his space program work?"  
  
“He really was a piece of work. No matter your motivations you don’t use people like that…Beth, she’s the one who had to leave, wasn’t she?” And to travel to a whole other planet, that was _really_ leaving. “How… _Special_ is the Earth you’re from?”  
  
"It is, from what I know, a relatively normal early 21st Century Earth," Robert noted. "Which can be a bit of a culture shock for Humans from other universes of a more advanced timeframe. Back home there are people who still think it's horrible to allow homosexuals to marry, or to teach Darwin's evolution theory in school as science. I still remember people insisting the Holocaust never happened, that it was a lie by Jews or Communists or some other ridiculous thing. I'm betting they still say the same even with an actual universe where Nazis won the war existing. They were not common, the Holocaust-deniers anyway, but they were there." Robert forced that thought away. "Beth had to go thousands of miles away to Portland, Oregon, to find any happiness. And I think she only really became happy when she ended up here. When all of her management talents had a chance to blossom."  
  
Colin nodded. “I spent twenty years in - god such an antiquated term - the closet. When the Corps was founded, it was institutionally accepting of the whole gender and sexuality spectrum. We were all one people, so accepted all. Then Vacit disappeared and Johnson took over. Our social attitudes never changed, but what the adults could tell the children did. Combine that with a breeding program, and you can guess the result.”  
  
"Since you were undoubtedly encouraged to see the breeding program as something to contribute to in order to show loyalty…" Robert nodded. Beth hadn't quite gotten the same treatment, but neighbors had always dropped broad hints that she should really find a nice boy to settle down with. Some of the same - though only some, thankfully - had often asked Robert what he saw in that "violent Mexican girl" and openly encouraged him to find another (white, "normal") girl.  
  
“Not exactly. I saw it as a lack of solidarity. I knew legally that I had a loophole, but what right did I have to use it?”  
  
"I see. It didn't seem fair for you to benefit and not the others." Robert checked the time. "Well, to keep appearances, we'd better get back to everything. After all…" He grinned. "You wouldn't want Mr. Cohen to become so enamored with life here that he decides to slip away, would you?" There was a slight teasing quality in his voice, and the open thought that Max would never do so. But there were appearances to keep.  
  
“Oh, yes. He secretly yearns to leave the Corps, rip off his gloves and run around nude with the anarchists, mentally violating every mundane he comes across.” Colin grinned.  
  
  
  
  
The rented aircar passed through the warehouse district in silence. Behind the wheel, Cat glanced nervously around while on the passenger side of the vehicle Angel and Tony continued to look at the warehouse in question.  
  
The markings outside referred to it as a holding of the M'nhra Clan Trading Company. As warehouses went it was one of the smaller ones in capacity in the entire district, accessible from both the lateral K Street and Farmer Parkway, the largest road leading from the heart of the Colony to its outermost districts.  
  
"I'm not detecting anything unusual. A passive security system, I'm guessing," Tony remarked. "No active attack software for electronic probing, just a standard firewall against external wireless connections. I could probably put together a penetration app in an hour or two."  
  
"Smart and strong, it's why you're so sexy," Angel said playfully, although not in her most playful tone. Cat could tell that her sister was worried. The tease was more of an attempt to not worry than it was actual flirting. "No hidden approaches to the doors," she added as Cat turned a corner. In keeping with their plan she was turning away from the warehouse and toward a nearby residential area, to make it look as if they were just passing through. Angel lowered her arm. "We have a composite scan of the place so we can plan an infiltration."  
  
"I'm not sure we should, babe," Tony said.  
  
"Don't 'babe' me, Tony, not in the mood."  
  
He sighed. This was clearly not the night he'd been planning, Cat figured. "So what next?" she asked.  
  
"I go to Colony Security," Angel said.  
  
"Will they work with you?"  
  
"Chief Almerda will." She gave Tony a reassuring look. "I'm not security branch, yeah, but back in those months between the Facility being destroyed and the Alliance being founded? I spent a lot of time working with Almerda's people. It's how I found Corelo in the first place. If I tell Almerda I'm worried about something, the least he'll do is give me access to records and a tech analyst. Hopefully Broots, he's great at this."  
  
"Maybe you should ask Robert for help?" Cat suggested. "He's got that Paladin authority now."  
  
Angel clearly considered the idea. "I'll give him a head's up," she said. "Once we get to Colony Security. But he's got the summit to watch, and Lucy's off playing tourist on Gersal. So we'll probably be doing this on our own."  
  
  
  
  
Meridina was barely asleep when her omnitool let off a tone. She reached over to the nightstand, slipping her fingers past her lightsaber and to the frame of the device. A tap brought up the screen and a message.  
  
_Bring Lucilla and Talara in the morning. I will explain what I can._  
  
At the bottom, the message ID showed it was from Ledosh.  
  
Meridina felt surprise at how much it eased the tension within her, to know her teacher was going to explain what was going in. She found that, despite everything, returning to sleep was quite easy.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning routine on the _Aurora_ deviated from normal only in who was doing which job. With Julia off on leave mandated by Leo, Meridina on Gersal, and Zack at DS9, Jarod and Locarno found themselves in charge of all of the usual morning activities, including relieving Gamma Shift, seeing to Alpha Shift's watch schedule, and reviewing reports from the previous evening. They did this from the Lookout, enjoying breakfast in the process.  
  
With the war over the fleet channels were fairly quiet, at least compared to the daily list of damaged and lost ships through much of the war. Locarno looked over the reports flagged for fleet-wide notification while Jarod signed off on Lieutenant Takawira's activity log for the shift. "Some unexpected Romulan activity in the Triangle, another ship disappeared in the Attican Traverse. The _Olamte'se_ reported Jem'Hadar ships testing the Alliance frontier at Horizon. The Klingons had a skirmish with them just inside Federation space near Bajor." Locarno shook his head at the list. "Not as quiet as I'd hoped."  
  
"It's a big Multiverse, there's always going to be trouble somewhere." Jarod set the planner down and went to finish the last of his scrambled eggs.  
  
Locarno cut away at a breakfast ham steak. "Well, we've had one war. We may not have fought every battle in it, but we fought enough of them." He glanced to the Memorial Wall, where every member of the _Aurora_ crew killed on duty was listed. Between Germania, 452TD, and Gamma Piratus there were over two hundred names. The Canary Wharf Incident more than doubled that, though it hadn't been part of the war. "I'd like to get back to how things were before the war."  
  
"That's not happening and you know it," Jarod noted. "For better or worse, the war changed the Alliance. Made us stronger in some ways, maybe weaker in others." After finishing his last bite Jarod stood. "Well, I'll see you later. My family's waiting."  
  
"Right, your personal day," Locarno said. "I'll leave the command chair warm for you. How much longer is this supposed to last?"  
  
"Leo insisted Julia take at least two full days of no duty," Jarod said. "And Meridina's not due back from Gersal for another couple of days."  
  
"Right. So until then, it's up to you and me to keep things going."  
  
"And Scotty," Jarod reminded him with a grin.  
  
"Scotty's not working a bridge shift," Locarno pointed out. "He refused to, as I recall."  
  
"'I dinnae plan on sittin' in that chair ever again'," Jarod said, mimicking Scotty's accent. "I'll be back by 1600."  
  
"You'd better," Locarno insisted. He watched Jarod go and returned to his breakfast, noting he only had half an hour to get to the bridge and commence his watch.

 

 

 

At Beth's insistence, Robert spent the night in one of her guest rooms, enjoying a comfortable bed and the use of the bathroom attached to it when he woke in the morning. He was surprised to find that once he was done with the routine, there was a message waiting for him from Angel, insisting he come straight to Colony Security.  
  
It was there that he found Angel, Cat, and Tony Zah in one of the Security HQ's computer labs. A balding man sat in front of them - Broots, Robert remembered, one of the people from Jarod's Earth. On the screen was a building schematic and side windows showing what looked like financial statements and money traces. Robert noted the sisters and Tony Zah looked quite tired. Angel was holding Tony tightly, making clear their relationship to those who hadn't known of it.  
  
Robert had, of course. Everyone on the _Aurora_ knew. He was happy for her.  
  
On Angel's other side, Cat had fallen asleep, her head resting against Angel's right arm.  
  
"You look like you've been up all night," he said.  
  
Cat stirred as Angel and Tony looked up at him. Broots turned as well. "Well, I've been up much of the night," he confided. "Granted, I'm the night shift data analyst now," he added.  
  
"What's going on?" Robert asked. "Your message said something about a threat to the summit?"  
  
"I thought you'd get here last night," Angel murmured.  
  
Robert shook his head. It occurred to him that if the message had come while he was in the electronically-shielded room with Beth and Colin, it wouldn't have come to his immediate attention. Nor would his omnitool have alerted him afterward given he'd set his systems to only openly alert him to messages of the highest priority, that is, from Morgan or Maran. _I shouldn't have had that last glass of champagne Beth insisted on_ , he thought. "Sorry, everything was set to quiet mode for the dinner," he said apologetically. "What's going on?"  
  
"I got a note yesterday from Corelo, he wanted to meet," Angel said. "He says there may be a threat to the Colony from his end of things."  
  
"Oh?" Robert remembered Hernan de Corelo. His type weren't why the Facility went after prisons in dictatorships, but then again, they'd been less careful in their early forays. "Get people out" had been the overriding concern, not vetting them to separate crooks from dissidents or the like. "What makes him say that?"  
  
"The gangs have been pulling out," said Angel. "Without someone coming in to replace them. When he looked into it, he heard rumors that those red-eyed bastards from A5R0 want payback over some of theirs that died."  
  
"The Aristos." Robert wondered about that. The Alliance government was still investigating just what capabilities they had, although they were clearly a powerful civilization. "From what we know they don't have IU tech of their own. They rely on shipping things through the Earth government of A5R0. If they're going to attack it's likely a terrorist attack of some kind."  
  
"Like, say, a summit," suggested Tony.  
  
"Good idea, but they'll be disappointed if they think New Liberty is easy to deal with," Robert said. "The best security tech in the Alliance is here. Either way, they'd have to have pre-positioned resources given their lack of IU tech."  
  
"That's the other part of Corelo's info. A warehouse down at K and Farmer."  
  
"Currently rented by the M'nhra Clan Trading Company of Ys'talla," Broots noted. "I've got all of the relevant paperwork. Standard-sized warehouse, consumer goods passing through."  
  
"Nothing too suspicious," Robert noted. "The Miqo'te have been expanding their trade networks since signing their defense treaty with the Alliance." Even as he said that, Robert felt something within him make him want to cringe. There _was_ something here, something elusive. Something…  
  
For a moment he was elsewhere. Standing in the Market Square, watching as buildings around him were ablaze.  
  
As quickly as it came, it ended. It was clear to all that he was disturbed by what he saw. "Consider me a believer," he said quietly. "What can you tell us about this warehouse, Broots?"  
  
"Well, we don't normally track cargos once they pass customs," he noted. "Not unless they're flagged, and M'nhra Trading isn't… woh."  
  
Angel and Tony sat up straight. Cat, still seeming very tired, didn't. "What is it?" Angel asked.  
  
"I'm getting a flag on the company now," Broots said. "From the Dorei Federation Security Service. They've got M'nhra flagged as suspected of criminal ties to a Jeaxian warlord. Uharas avam Tithsa?"  
  
"Tithsa," Robert groaned. Seeing the looks on the others, he explained, "Uharas Tithsa isn't just a Jeaxian warlord. He's a slaver, one of the most powerful still in operation in the statelets, with political and economic connections inside the Coserian Empire."  
  
"How high?" asked Tony.  
  
"High enough to hire an entire company, hell, a battalion of cybertroopers, among other things," Robert said, glowering and thinking of Tau Atrea. "Odds are the Aristos would sign up someone just like him to do dirty work."  
  
"Would he go terrorist though?" Angel asked. "Slavers are usually more interested in taking slaves, I mean. Terrorism doesn't help."  
  
"He may not be involved in the actual attack, just acting as a transport middle man," Tony said.  
  
Robert nodded in agreement. "Exactly." He drew in a breath. "I need to see this warehouse. If there's a threat we may need to call off the summit."  
  
"What about us?" Cat asked.  
  
"You'll need backup, sir," Tony said. "Colony Security's stretched pretty thin."  
  
"I wouldn't want them along," Robert remarked. "Too much noise, they might trigger whatever they're planning. Mister Broots?" He looked to the analyst.  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Inform Chief Almerda of what's going on. Lieutenant Zah, let Commander Richmond know. I know she's got a team helping with the summit security, but we'll need more ready if things go bad."  
  
Tony nodded. He didn't look dressed for business - neither did Angel or Cat - but he made up for it with his serious look. "Yes sir."  
  
"What about us?" Cat asked.  
  
"Broots, we need an ops vehicle," Robert said. "Just one. Cat, you and Jarod are our ops control, you stay in the vehicle. Lieutenant, Angel, you'll be with me." Robert reached for his omnitool. "I'll be right back." He finished typing a sequence in and vanished in a burst of light.  
  
When he returned two minutes later, he was wearing combat armor, and he had two cases with him. He handed one of each to Angel and Tony. "Go suit up," he instructed. "We've got an infiltration mission." He smiled slightly at Angel. "Just like old times."  
  
"Old times," she agreed. "What about Julia? Should she know?"  
  
"I've already alerted Locarno and Jarod," he said. "They'll let her know. Jarod's on his way to join us. We'd better get busy."

 

 

 

It was well past dawn when Julia stirred. The presence of daylight through curtains laid over the window was a novel experience, showing how used she was to living aboard a starship. Equally novel was the warmth of another body pressed up against hers, and not even under the sheets.  
  
After a moment of waking up, she realized she hadn't stirred from any arrangement of an internal clock, but from the repetitive electronic tone coming from the nearby nightstand. She looked over to see a blue light showing over the frame of her omnitool. She blinked, if just to get the haze of sleep out of her eyes, before reaching over to tap the omnitool. "I'm here," she said.  
  
" _Sorry to disturb your rest_ ," said Locarno. " _I'm just calling to give you a warning. There might be trouble at the summit_."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
" _Robert called it in_ ," he continued. " _A possible terrorist threat. He's investigating with Angel._ "  
  
Behind her, Lee began stirring as well. Julia stifled a little yawn. "Does he need me for anything? I can come back up to the ship."  
  
" _That won't be necessary. I've got things handled up here and security's ready to send more personnel to help out_ ," Locarno replied. " _If Robert needs anything more, he'll call._ "  
  
"Still, if there's a threat…" Julia felt Lee's arm move across her belly. He said nothing for the moment. "Keep me informed, and be ready to transport me back to the ship the moment something happens."  
  
" _We'll keep a lock on you. Locarno out._ "  
  
"Work?" asked Lee.  
  
"Maybe. You might want to call Shaw or Hoshi and give them forewarning. There might be a terrorist attack of some kind." Julia turned and laid flat on her back on the bed. Lee laid on his side beside her, his arm still draped over her belly.  
  
"We'll be ready to provide assistance," he promised. "I'll give them a call if you want to use the shower first."  
  
"That sounds nice." Julia gave him a peck of a kiss on the cheek in thanks before sliding out of the bed. Her uniform was laid out over a chair. Everything under it had been thoughtlessly left on the floor. Julia might have blamed the wine from the dinner at Beth's if not for the fact that it had more to do with impatience than inebriation.  
  
When she got out of the shower Lee was waiting with a towel. "The _Pegasus_ is on standby," he informed her. "We're ready to help."  
  
"I just hope it's a false alarm," she said. "I'll call Richmond and see how preparations are going while you shower. Then we can go enjoy a late breakfast?"  
  
"That works for me," he said.

 

 

 

A short time later they were in the Visitors' Lodge's cafe. A host of breakfast meals from various cultures were available. Julia opted for plain cereal with eggs while Lee gave the _kimchi_ a try, along with a bowl of fish stew. Given the situation both were in uniform. "Any plans for the day?" Lee asked.  
  
"Well, I had been considering taking you on a hike to the Carrey River Falls," Julia remarked. "They're gorgeous."  
  
Lee noted the name, but instead asked, "Where is that, again?"  
  
"About a hundred kilometers to the northeast, along the Carrey River. The falls are at the edge of the mountain range."  
  
Lee noted the name. "You named a river for Zachary?"  
  
Julia responded with a bemused laugh. "It's an old joke from the surveys after we founded the Colony. He fell into it. And since he was the first to touch the river in any way, we decided to name it for him."  
  
Lee chuckled at that. "So the name of the water falls derives from a pun?"  
  
"In a manner of speaking, yes."  
  
Another chuckle came from Lee. "I suppose it's not surprising that things here would be named after you and the others. You founded this place, settled it with the people you helped…"  
  
"Yeah. Although we've asked them to refrain from naming anything in our honor. At least until we're passed on," Julia said. "The river was an exception that was too funny to pass up."  
  
"That works for me," Lee said, grinning. After he took another bite of his food he folded his hands on the table. "So… I've been meaning to ask…"  
  
Julia finished swallowing a piece of fluffy egg and looked up. "Hrm?"  
  
For a moment Lee hesitated, as if he wasn't sure what he was going to say or how he would. Finally he drew in a breath and asked, "So, I'm trying to get a handle on things. On us."  
  
Julia pursed her lips and set her fork down. "Yeah, I imagined we'd get to this eventually."  
  
"I've never been the best at relationships," Lee admitted. "And I'm not sure where this one is going."  
  
Julie folded her hands on the table. "Lee, to be honest, I… I don't see this being a long term thing. For me, it's about having a peer who understands what I go through. Being able to… to find an outlet for a part of me that I've always kept bottled up."  
  
Lee nodded slowly. "So… you want to spend time with me for the sex?"  
  
That prompted a sigh. "Not entirely," Julia answered. "I suppose there's a 'peer with benefits' angle to it…"  
  
"'Peer with benefits'?" asked Lee, confused.  
  
"There's a term, 'friends with benefits'. It means people who are friends and have casual sex without a romantic attachment," Julia explained. "That's… not quite how I see us."  
  
"But it is, a bit?"  
  
That drew another exasperated sigh. "I see you as someone I can spend time with for whatever reason. Someone who knows the pressures I live with," Julia explained. "Who understands what it's like to do this job. And you're kind and you're trying to do the right thing. I appreciate that." She leaned forward slightly. "Is that enough for you, Lee?"  
  
Lee's expression made it clear he had to search his thoughts. "Well, like I said, I've been bad at relationships," he admitted. "They always go wrong. I suppose I was hoping that I'll finally find one that works."  
  
"I hope you do. But I'm not going to commit to a long term relationship, Lee. I don't think it'll work. If this means you want to put an end to it…"  
  
"I'm not saying that," he said, a little too quickly. "I'm just… I'm tired, Julia. Tired of my relationships blowing up in my face. Of things going wrong."  
  
"I understand that. I just want things clear between us. No unintended expectations." Even as she spoke Julia could see Lee's eyes fall a little. _Damn_. "I'm sorry if I let you think I felt differently."  
  
"It's not that," he said. "It's… Gods, listen to me. You're being up front and honest. I'm the one making this complicated."  
  
"You wanted more."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I was hoping for it," Lee admitted. "But I think I'm okay with this. Maybe it's what I need. No expectations beyond, well…"  
  
"Hanging out and really good sex," Julia offered, smiling.  
  
The response was a chuckle. "Yeah."  
  
Julia wasn't sure he entirely meant it. _Robert has it so much easier, being able to sense feelings._ She scraped the last bits of egg onto her fork and ate it. After enjoying the taste for a few seconds and swallowing she said, "Well, given the situation, my plan for a nature walk is out. I don't want to be a hundred kilometers away if something happens. Is there anything you'd like to do?"  
  
Lee seemed to think on it for a moment. "Well, that sport you play, the one like pyramid…?"  
  
"Basketball?"  
  
"Yeah. I wouldn't mind giving that a try."  
  
"I'm a little rusty these days," she admitted. "But sure. We'll use the courts here at the Lodge."  
  
"Sounds fun to me."

 

 

 

Meridina, Lucy, and Talara awoke early for their planned trip to the Temple. When they left their rooms they quietly accepted a breakfast made by Drentiya. Meridina's mother was a strong telepath and sensed their emotional states. _It is still early, why not rest more?_ she urged.  
  
 _No. We have something to do at the Temple_ , Meridina insisted. _We will be leaving shortly.  
  
Your father has already left_, Drentiya cast back, her concern plain on her face and in her thoughts. _Whatever is wrong… please be careful_.  
  
 _We'll try, Drentiya_ , Lucy promised.  
  
Once they finished their meals, they departed.

 

 

 

For safety's sake Cat parked the operations van Security provided a block away, putting another warehouse between her and the M'nhra Trading warehouse. She went to the back where Jarod, in civilian wear but with a pulse pistol in a belt-mounted hip holster, activated holo-monitors, tying the van's onboard systems into the omnitools of the others and accessing the Colony's database, including the schematics of the warehouse.  
  
By the time they were ready, the others were in position. Angel and Tony were in dark suits, each armed with a pulse rifle and pulse pistol, and like Robert they had personal cloaking devices. These were active as they crossed an open lot and arrived at the side door of the warehouse. " _I'm opening the door now_ ," Jarod said over their secure comms.  
  
Moments later the electronic lock on the door released, allowing them entry. The side door didn't leave to the warehouse proper but to adjacent offices and restrooms. They passed through there to the storage area, where crates were stacked. Some were on the floor, others on anti-grav pallets. Robert walked up to one and noted it was empty.  
  
"They're all empty," Tony noted, looking in another one.  
  
Robert ran a scan. He found something he'd been hoping not to find. "Residue from explosives," he confirmed. A bad feeling came to his gut. "They've already unloaded whatever they're using. Their plan must be in play."

 

 

 

Lucy flew the aircar through the assigned lanes over Jantarihal with some urgency. Today there was no sightseeing from Talara, only deep concern at the chilling, foreboding feeling all sensed. "Something is going to happen, isn't it?" she asked. "This feeling in my being. This coldness."  
  
"I wish I could assure you otherwise, Talara," Meridina said. Below were some of the commercial areas of Jantarihal. They were coming up to the roadway that led up to the Temple, used primarily by anti-grav and wheeled vehicles. Lucy gently pulled the craft up. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh undoubtedly believes he protects us by not speaking on the matter. But we must prevail on him to trust us."  
  
"We'll persuade him," Lucy promised.  
  
While a river and the road beside it wound below them, the aircar rose to the mountain plateau where the Temple stood. In the dawnlit sky the Temple looked impressive indeed, as it always did. Lucy kept them on course. Something on the display beside her made her blink. "That's odd."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The traffic control net just went down," Lucy said.  
  
Meridina activated her omnitool. "I will…" She blinked and her face began to pale. "The commnet is down."  
  
Lucy did not want to hear that. "Nothing?"  
  
"Nothing. I am attempting to raise the orbital stations on Stellar Navy channels…" Meridina shook her head. "It appears the entire planetary comm network is out."  
  
Talara was double-checking while Lucy tried to keep the feeling in her gut from becoming nausea. "Try connecting to the _Rio Grande_ ," Lucy urged. "It's got an IU…"  
  
That was when the first explosion flowered from the Great Temple.

 

 

 

In the Security ops van, Caterina looked over the chemical composition from the readings Robert and the others were sending. "A plastic explosive derivative," she noted. "If you kept it properly separated, it wouldn't show up on customs scans. At least not as obvious explosives."  
  
"So there is a terrorist threat," noted Jarod. He tapped a button on his board. "I'm raising Colony Sec… wait."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The comm network is down," Jarod said. "I can't get through." Jarod tapped at a key. "Robert, Angel, can you read me?"  
  
" _Loud and clear_ ," came Robert's response. " _We're just_ …"

 

 

 

"...checking everything." Robert moved to another empty crate. This one didn't have explosive residue. "Another empty, no explosives," he called out to the others.  
  
"Same here!" Tony shouted.  
  
"And here!" added Angel.  
  
"What's wrong, Jarod?" Robert asked. Inside he felt a growing sense of wrongness, a chilling feeling of dread.  
  
" _Planetary comms are down. Since we can talk, whatever it is isn't jamming._ "  
  
"Can you raise the _Aurora_?"  
  
" _Trying now_ … _not through the ops van. Let me tie in through our omnitools._ "  
  
"Good. I've got a bad feeling about all of this."  
  
"Hey, we've got a non-empty over here!" shouted Tony.  
  
Robert and Angel converged on Tony. He was in the corner, facing a single crate. It wasn't a large one, two meters long, still on an anti-grav pallet. As they approached Tony generated a hardlight blade from his omnitool and used it to pry the lid open. Blinking lights played over his face. "Is that what I think it is?"  
  
Robert and Angel arrived at the same time to spot an object that, yes, looked fairly familiar. It was not exactly what they were familiar with, granted, but it was clearly based on the same thing.  
  
A green light lit up on one end.  
  
Robert slapped at his arm, bringing his omnitool up. "Dale to _Aurora_ , raise the shields _now!_ "

 

 

 

On the _Aurora_ bridge Locarno heard the priority call from Robert. As surprised as he was by it, training kicked in. "Raise shields, set ship to Code Yellow," he ordered, after which he added, "This is Locarno on the _Aurora_ , just what is going on?"  
  
" _There's a jump anchor down here_ ," Robert replied, his voice tense with worry. " _And it's been activated._ "  
  
At Ops, Lieutenant Tra'dur spoke, in an accent that bordered on Anglo-Indian, "Sir, the _Pegasus_ and _Charleston_ are both inquiring as to why we are raising shields."  
  
"Relay what Captain Dale just told us," Locarno said.  
  
"Yes sir." After several moments Tra'dur noted, "Several vessels are raising shields as well."  
  
"Multiple IU jump points opening!" cried Lieutenant Amira al-Rashad, currently at the Science station.  
  
Locarno was not used to the idea of such a thing being a sign of danger. IU jump points usually meant help. It meant friendlies. But with everything going on, he knew it likely didn't mean the same now. Even as his mind wondered just who would have the technology and become hostile - One of the Citadel Council races? The Clans? - he barked, "Code Red! Put them onscreen!"  
  
Tra’dur flipped the shipwide intercom. “Battlestations, Battlestations, All Hands to Battlestations, _On the Double_! This is not a drill…”  
  
The holo-viewer activated to show open space just beyond the orbital space of New Liberty. Green vortices were forming, at least half a dozen. Ships zoomed out from within them. Locarno's eyes widened as he took in the vessels, of designs he'd seen before, black hulls, sharp angular shapes, and nacelles with blue ramscoops and blood-red plasma chambers.  
  
And on each one was a black-on-white field swastika and the double lightning bolt rune of the _Schutzstaffel_.  
  
Even as the ramifications jolted through Locarno like lightning, a stunned al-Rashad read off the identification. "Multiple Reich warships of varying classes! Their shields are up and weapons are online! They're firing…!"  
  
As one, the SS vessels opened fire, the emerald energy of their disruptors striking at the _Aurora_ , the ships around it, and New Liberty below.

 

 

 

Lucy hit the accelerator on the aircar's engines as soon as the explosions flowered from the Great Temple.  
  
The act saved their lives.  
  
As the seconds passed, multiple lights burst into existence in the air over the Temple. The brief flashes resulted in the presence of Cylon raiders, fighter craft that immediately commenced attacks on the temple itself, strafing its structures and its denizens. One fighter, having noticed them upon jumping, immediately bore down on them and fired. Without accelerating the aircar would have been destroyed.  
  
It might still have suffered that fate, but Lucy's piloting kept them from taking hits. She flew onward to the Temple, seeking to land where she could, as it was only a matter of time before the Cylons overwhelmed them in the air. Her concern was proven a few moments later when a flurry of fire blew out the engine just as they neared the Temple proper. "A little help!" Lucy cried out, trying to keep the aircar from hitting too hard with the emergency anti-gravs set to full.  
  
Meridina and Talara came to her aid, concentrating. Together they slowed the vehicle enough that it merely jostled them violently when Lucy planted it in the middle of the courtyard garden. After a moment to gather their bearings they pulled off their safety belts and got out of the car. Around them robed figures were in constant motion, running for cover or, in some cases, not. Several purple-robed figures, as well as some of the red and blue-robed ones, were already reaching skyward or at least looking skyward. One by one, the Cylon fighters started to go out of control, slamming into each other or into the ground.  
  
But that wasn't all. Beyond the clouds, against the dawn sky, lights streaked far above.

 

 

 

The Gersallians were no strangers to threats. On several occasions the Coserians had sent raids into their space deeply enough to nearly reach Gersal, and so the planet was well-defended.  
  
The issue was that, like many defenses, it took time to fully bring them into operation. Ships had to be sortied. Theater and deflector shields raised. And the system had been geared to expect early warning from long-range sensors.  
  
The arrival of the Cylon fleet in orbit gave no warning. One moment there was nothing, the next, the twisted shapes of Cylon Basestars flashed into existence. Fighters poured from their hangers and the Basestars opened fire with missiles and powerful energy weapons.  
  
The ships in orbit had little time to react before the Cylon fire started ripping through them. Those that managed to raise shields survived the longest, but just as many did not, or had no shields; they were the first to die.  
  
But they were not the last, as the Cylon ships started raining fire down on the surface of Gersal itself.

 

 

 

Talara was the first to watch the emerald streaks descend from the sky and strike Jantarihal. Beam after beam lashed at the shining capital city of the Gersallians. To her horror, one of the gleaming spires started to collapse after a hit cleaved it in two.  
  
"Swenya's Light," gasped Meridina, now observing the scene. Other members of the Order showed similar shock and horror at the sight of Jantarihal's scourging. Overhead the last of the Cylon fighters was gone, destroyed or escaped. The attack seemed to be over.  
  
Gina approached them. "I need your help," she said, panting. She looked haggard and worn. "The offices, they were bombed… _Mastrash_ Ledosh is still there!"  
  
Before Lucy or Meridina could react to this news, a roar filled the air. Heads turned to witness the pods rain down from the sky. All sensed the presence of dark, cold energy as the pods slammed into the ground, one by one. One pod smashed into the rubble that had once been the Temple Knight barracks, another near the Temple Hall and the Council's meeting place.  
  
Many of those present drew their weapons. Some ignited or activated them, the snap-hiss of lightsabers joined by the metallic shriek of _lakesh_ blades taking form. Lucy, Meridina, and Gina joined them.  
  
The pods opened. From each came a dozen occupants. And they were the same for each pod. Flashes of recognition came from many as they recognized, among these numbers, copies of Gina herself… and of Lucy.  
  
Cylons.  
  
But that wasn't why gasps of horrified familiarity came from some of the Order, or Meridina herself.  
  
The familiarity wasn't from the copies of Gina and Lucy, but rather their garb. For each was clad in a black hooded robe, the hoods lowered, over dark suits of armor with gray belts. Each Cylon had a headband on their brow, black as well, with a red insignia upon it. The insignia was a hexagon divided into twelve parts - two per side - with a sword bisecting the whole.  
  
There was something Lucy found familiar with the garb. As if she'd seen it, or something like it, before…  
  
"It's them," Meridina gasped. "After all this time…"  
  
One of the older models, the "Brother Cavil" one, spoke aloud. "At long last, our time has come." He pulled from his belt a dark-enameled hilt. A blood-red energy blade flashed to life with a snap and hiss. " _Death to the enemies of our Lord!_ " he roared. " _Death to the followers of Swenya!_ "  
  
The courtyard echoed with the snap-hiss of dozens of blood-red lightsabers igniting. " _Death to the memory of Swenya!_ " roared the other Cylons.  
  
And then the battle began.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The battle that erupted in the Temple courtyard filled that space with the buzz of lightsabers and the hum of _lakesh_ blades, though mostly the former. The Cylons set upon the present members of the Order with a savage glee, as if years, decades of patience were finally paying off.  
  
Lucy's first foe was a Caucasian-colored male Cylon, one of the models she wasn't familiar with. He moved with a fury and speed that she struggled to match. Beside her Gina was locking blades with one of the D'anna Biers-looking Cylons and Meridina was facing one of the Cavils. Talara, unarmed, had no choice but to keep moving, focusing on avoiding the lethal blade of one of the Sharon Valerii models.  
  
While they held their ground as best as they could, the rest of the Order wasn't doing quite as well. The _Mastrasham_ and the handful of Temple Knights present were also holding their own, but some of the Knights were struggling with the sheer ferocity and power of their foes. Each of the Cylons was gifted with dark power, and they used those powers happily, mixing lightsaber strikes with attempts to choke or bind their foes, or to channel purple-tinged lightning into them.  
  
In ordinary circumstances this may not have been enough. But such circumstances didn't exist. The Order's recent malaise, its clear demoralization, were exacerbated by the sudden shock of the attack. One by one, some of the Knights - especially those not as experienced - fell to the attacks of their foes, while the Cylons suffered fewer losses at the hands of the Order.  
  
Lucy herself was in the fight for her life. The SS men she'd fought in the _Fuhrerhaus_ had been neophytes compared to the Cylon she was fighting. The last time she'd dueled someone this powerful had been Goras himself, and that was when she was far less experienced in the art. She remained on the defensive, using maneuver and short blocking strikes to defy her foe repeatedly. _Talara needs me, I can't let this go on…_  
  
Then her opponent, perhaps sensing her desperation to aid Talara, got overconfident. His attacks were stronger, but less agile, more exposing. After the third such attack, aimed at her head, Lucy twisted in one direction and struck out with her armored boot. It slammed into the knee of her opponent from the side with enough strength to dislocate the entire joint. The Cylon's leg came out from under him. As he cried out, Lucy completed her maneuver with a horizontal slice of her weapon, cleanly taking the head off the Cylon.  
  
A quick check of the battlefield told her the Order was struggling. Meridina and Gina were still in combat and Talara was running out of room to run. Lucy ran to her aid, just to be intercepted by the lightsaber of one of the bald, dark-skinned Cylons. Immediately she was forced on the defensive.  
  
Talara gathered what strength she had left and pushed out with her power, trying to knock her armed foe away. The Cylon absorbed the strike with her own power. Her hand came up and purple-tinged lightning erupted. Talara tried to resist it, but she wasn't experienced enough to do so. It blasted through her attempted defense and seared her body. She spasmed and fell, screaming from the shock. Her foe, grinning, advanced with blade raised to end Talara's life.  
  
And then unseen force slammed into the Valerii-model, into Lucy's foe, into Gina's, into Meridina's. All four Cylons went flying as if struck by a speeding air car. Two collided with such force that their heads smashed together and inflicted fatal head trauma. The four could feel a sense of confident, strong light amongst them, someone openly defying the darkness sapping at them and the rest of the Order. They turned to see the robed figure, his purple robe lined with blue to mark a Council member.  
  
_Mastrash_ Karesl held out a hand clutching the lightsaber that Lucy had personally taught him how to make. It ignited in a flash of green light. But it wasn't the weapon he used. They all felt raw power gather around them and release, an invisible plow blade that ripped through several approaching Cylons and sent them flying.  
  
It occurred to Lucy that she'd never seen Karesl fight. She always knew he was powerful, very much so. But to see him use that power… it was like how Robert now fought, but refined. Controlled. Completely confident, not restrained.  
  
The sight of _Mastrash_ Karesl joining the battle gave heart to the beleaguered Knights of Swenya, who fought all the more fiercely to protect their temple.  
  
Karesl turned to them. "Ledosh was in his office. See to him!"  
  
"But you'll need…"  
  
Before Lucy could finish, Karesl thundered " _Go!_ " in a voice that brimmed with stern command. She felt the sheer strength in him vibrate in harmony with the command. Here and now he was in charge, and his orders were not to be questioned. Too much was at stake.  
  
"Come, Lucy, Gina," Meridina said, accepting her father's command without protest. "We must hurry." _Be safe, Father_ , Meridina urged mentally as the quartet departed.  
  
_The same to you, Meri._ Karesl plunged into the fray after sending the thought.  
  
  
  
  
Amidst the rubble that had once been part of the Order's organization offices, _Mastrash_ Ledosh gave a final surge of effort. Broken masonry and stone flew away from the protective bubble he'd pulled around himself the moment he sensed danger. Sunlight poured into the ruins around him. Only his desk and the books, with their notes, were preserved.  
  
He could feel the dark power near. A battle raged nearby. His fellows in the Order were struggling against a foe. And in the distance, fire rained down on Jantarihal and other places. His worst fears were realized. _I was too late!_  
  
For a moment despair took him. But only for a moment. He could feel Meridina, Gina, Lucy, all alive. All here. There was still hope. He would not let the darkness drive him to despair, not now.  
  
He grabbed the protective container he used to move the books around from its place by his desk. It snapped open and he quickly stashed both the books and his notes into it, after which he snapped the container shut and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
And then he set off to find Meridina and the others.  
  
  
  
  
Onboard the _Pegasus,_ now a storied and infamous survivor of thirty or more engagements thanks to the Reich War, Major Hoshi had taken the report of _Aurora_ ’s shields going up and alerted Colonel Shaw, who had (like usual) refused leave and remained onboard to drill new arrivals and oversee inspections and repairs. Then he’d asked the _Aurora_ what was going on.  
  
He’d barely finished when Kendra Shaw arrived at a dead run. The short woman was in her uniform trousers and boots and a sports bra, wet from head to toe with the shower she’d been taking and with her uniform jacket draped around her shoulders and flapping open from where it was half tugged on during her run to the bridge.  
  
“Mister Rawlin,” she ordered the engineering lieutenant on the bridge without even asking any details, “Spool the jump drive!”  
  
“Sir?”  
  
“That’s an order. Mister Hoshi, Report?”  
  
“ _Aurora_ has raised her shields and there’s an unknown jump beacon active on the planet.”  
  
Kendra Shaw’s damp brown skin paled. “Shields, now!”  
  
Hoshi had been dealing with Kendra for long enough to know better. The survivor of the Scorpion shipyard had gotten steadily more functional over that period, but she was utterly inflexible in this kind of situation, and..  
  
“Sir, jump-points forming!”  
  
Kendra gazed at Hoshi for a moment like she was going to berate him for not having already raised the shields, but then she just pulled a handset off the wall next to the red toggle switch which she firmly depressed, the alarms immediately sounding around them.  
  
“All hands, this is Colonel Shaw. General Quarters, Set Condition One throughout the ship.” She released the toggle on the handset. “DRADIS, what do we have?”  
  
As she asked the question, the _Pegasus_ rocked, but not severely.  
  
“Shields holding, Colonel!”  
  
“Colonel, multiple significant contacts. _Schutzstaffel_ warships emerging from interuniversal jump points. We are taking fire from at least four heavy cruisers.”  
  
For a moment, Kendra Shaw’s face was fixed and chiseled in place, expressionless. The entire thing was brutally like Scorpion. Hoshi had been unconscious the entire time and the event remained at a remove for him. With her free hand she reached into the pocket of her still hanging uniform jacket and gripped hard at the closed metal form of Cain’s razor. Then she spoke with confidence and decisiveness. “Prepare for emergency jump!”  
  
“Sir… Preparing for emergency jump.” Rawlin turned back to his console and Kendra watched him, remembering herself in the same position only a few years before. The ship rocked under her again.  
  
“Nazi dreadnought is bearing on us with its spinal mount, Sir!”  
  
“Jump the ship.”  
  
  
  
  
For the first time in the Colony's history, the space around New Liberty was filled with the violent spectacle of starship combat. The disruptors of the arriving SS vessels lashed out at the unprepared ships in orbit, joined by the visible tailfire of their missiles and torpedoes. The vessels in orbit over New Liberty barely had a chance to begin maneuvering before the emerald beams began to carve through them. One of the vessels, a Narn cruiser, took several hits against bare hull before a terrible explosion blew the vessel in half. A Bajoran ship managed to evade much of the incoming fire due to its small size and maneuverability, until it took a direct hit from a heavy disruptor that blasted through its shields and speared its engine section, destroying the vessel in a white fireball.  
  
Where weapons fire struck the _Aurora_ , it encountered fully-engaged shields. On the bridge, Nicholas Locarno found himself in command of the ship. "Send out a fleet alert," Locarno ordered. "And open a tac comm link."  
  
"Doing so now," said Tra'dur. "The _Pegasus_ just jumped out."  
  
Locarno frowned at that. Not that it didn't make sense - it did, tactically, since Battlestars were primarily carriers and the ship's fighters would need time to be launched - but that it made the job of protecting the Colony even harder. Perhaps impossible.  
  
"Targeting enemy vessels now!" called out Lieutenant Syrandi Luneri, the Dorei woman at Tactical.  
  
As disruptors played over her shields, the _Starship Aurora_ turned to face the enemy. Her weapons began to blaze. One by one, the other ships around her joined in the battle, the cerulean fury of the _Melissa Davion_ 's naval PPCs joined by the amber strikes of the _Charleston_ 's phasers. Both ships contributed missiles and photon torpedoes to the barrage.  
  
Unfortunately, most of the ships were not so lucky. With every passing second more of those vessels in orbit died, many of them civilian ships. Locarno gripped the command chair arms tightly at the thought that there was nothing he could do for those poor people. It would be hard enough keeping his own ships alive given the number of enemy contacts showing up on the holo-display. A destroyer squadron, several cruisers of varying classes, all centered around an _Aryan_ -class dreadnought with SS colors and markings.  
  
Even as they engaged the SS task force, some of those black ships were not responding to the challenge from the orbiting defenders. They were too busy pouring fire into the Colony.  
  
  
  
  
Cat and Jarod were the first to hear the boom of explosions from inside the ops van. Jarod scrambled to the front of the van in time to see an emerald disruptor beam stab down from the sky and blow apart a nearby structure. Beyond more explosions flowered, some without aid from the sky. "We're under attack!" Jarod shouted into the omnitool before getting behind the wheel. He brought the van's motor to life and sent the vehicle into gear, pulling out on the road to bring them back to the warehouse the others were in.  
  
Behind him, Cat was looking at the van's instruments in utter shock. "The… this is all… we're under attack." Her voice squeaked the repetition of Jarod's remark. "But I can't get anyone on comms!"  
  
"Sabotage," Jarod said grimly. He tapped at his omnitool as he turned the wheel. "Jarod to _Aurora_ , what's going on up there?!"  
  
" _SS ships just jumped in. They were using IU drives_ ," Locarno answered. " _We're trying to fight them off now, but the comm network is acting up. We aren't getting replies from Defense Command._ "  
  
"New Liberty's comms are down too, try to patch in to Julia and as many others as you can."  
  
" _We're a bit busy, but we'll do what we can_."  
  
They pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse as Robert, Angel, and Tony emerged from the door. They ran toward the van.  
  
As they did so, another pair of vehicles pulled in behind the van, moving to block its exit. From the vehicles several men in civilian clothing emerged, but given the uniform shades of blond hair it wasn't too hard to guess their affiliation.  
  
At a barked command in stern German, the group opened fire.  
  
  
  
  
The initial explosions sent the Colony into chaos. They could be heard in every corner as pre-set bombs destroyed or damaged buildings across the city. Some of the targets seemed random, simply to add to the chaos, but with one bomb nearly gutting Colony Security HQ and another damaging the Government Building, it was clear that there was a purpose beyond mere chaos. Only later was it realized that the bombings were well-placed to disrupt the city's power grid, preventing the raising of the protective theater shield.  
  
Moments after the bombs went off, emerald beams struck at the Colony with deadly precision. Entire buildings were demolished with a moment's contact with them. People were vaporized where they stood.  
  
The explosions disrupted the opening session of the Summit, meeting in the Legislative Chamber of the New Liberty Government Building. The entire building shook violently from the blast, although the chamber itself was not directly affected. From her place at the Presiding Table Beth Rankin rose and looked toward the sergeant-at-arms, Sergeant Bomayako. The African woman drew her pulse pistol and spoke into her omnitool. Beth knew something was wrong the moment confusion showed on Bomayako's face. "Communications are down," she said. "Madame Governor, we should evacuate."  
  
"Agreed." Beth looked to the assembled delegates. With the exception of the Narn and Bajoran members, not to mention Governor Kuhln, they all showed various levels of uncertainty or fright. "There is a protective bunker here. Please follow me."  
  
Trying hard to keep her own rising fear and worry at bay, Beth stepped away from the table toward a side door. She opened it… and immediately closed it at noticing the armed man down the hall, firing a Reich-made disruptor rifle into another room. "Armed intruder," she said to Bomayako.  
  
"The other door, quickly!" the other woman hissed, moving to take cover in sight of both doors. "I will buy you what time I can."  
  
Beth didn't argue. She knew better, just as much as she knew Bomayako was sacrificing herself to protect the summit delegates. Beth rushed across the room to another door. She activated her omnitool and found a basic life sign scanner app loaded into it, part of the base firmware of the model. The scanner told her there was nobody ahead, so she opened the door. The corridor ahead led toward various offices for the Council members and their staff, and from there she knew the way to the entrance to the bunker. She motioned for the others to follow and walked out into the hall.  
  
Bomayako watched them go, breathed a silent prayer, and had her gun leveled and ready when the first intruder came through the door.  
  
  
  
  
The first boom interrupted Julia and Lee in their game. Julia stopped dribbling the basketball and let it bounce away on the court. "What the hell…?"  
  
"It sounds like a…"  
  
More booms could be heard. Going from confusion to worry, Julia went for her omnitool.  
  
Before she could activate it, Lee grabbed her and pulled her toward the west door. Julia nearly stumbled and just managed to keep her footing. "What is…"  
  
Before she could finish, she heard a voice snarl in German. This prompted Julia to glance back at the far door, where an armed man in basic civilian garb was entering, disruptor rifle readied, and more followed. He scanned the room and noticed them just as they got to the door. A moment after Lee pulled Julia through a disruptor beam sizzled through the door, barely missing her.  
  
"Did you bring your sidearm?!" Julia demanded, forcing down the questions racing through her mind. Was it just a coincidence, or was she actually facing some kind of remnant forces of the Reich? Released POWs turned mercenary?  
  
"No," Lee answered, looking ready to kick himself.  
  
"Don't feel bad, I didn't either." They kept running, going past the shower area and toward the front of the lodge. Behind them the armed men burst through the door. Julia, remembering the Lodge layout, pulled Lee with her into a room to their side. It was full of tables and chairs, recognizable as one of the Lodge's rentable meeting rooms. They continued on through the door on the opposite side. "Jeong might, though."  
  
"The owner?"  
  
"Yeah," she said. She activated her omnitool as they came to the end of the recreational area. "Andreys to _Aurora_ , I'm under fire!"  
  
" _So are we_ ," Locarno replied. " _SS warships have jumped into orbit. We're under heavy fire, most of the orbiting ships are already heavily damaged or destroyed._ "  
  
Julia felt a sick feeling in her gut. "They jumped, as in…"  
  
" _They have the IU drive_ ," Locarno confirmed.  
  
The horrible ramifications of that fact bubbled to the surface of her mind. If they had the drive, the SS could attack anywhere. They could hit any target in Alliance space.  
  
But there were more pressing matters to worry about. "Do what you can to keep the Colony and ship safe!" she ordered. "We'll hold out as best as we can."  
  
" _Planetary comms are down, but we'll do what we can to keep comms going through our systems. Stay in touch_."  
  
"I'll try," Julia answered.  
  
  
  
  
In the warehouse parking lot, Tony and Angel raised their rifles and opened fire just as the incoming attackers did, nailing one and sending the others to protective cover. Both had to hit the ground before fire converged on them.  
  
Robert's lightsaber flashed to life. Its green nearly matched the green of the disruptor beams fired at him, beams his blade deflected. He moved to guard Angel and Tony and keep any fire from converging on them. They remained prone, firing from the ground.  
  
Several shots hit the van as well, even as Jarod kept it moving. It stayed moving thanks to its construction, being made to potentially end up in a firefight, but it wouldn't take many hits before succumbing.  
  
Thanks to intense practice Robert knew how to multi-task with his abilities. How to maintain his defensive posture while preparing to go on the attack. He carefully divided his will, keeping up his defensive posture while gripping with his will the vehicles the attackers were blocking the van with. His will was that the vehicles would spin outward, both opening the way and slamming into most of the shooters.  
  
The shooters had no time to react when their aircars spun in place, slamming them with the hood areas with enough force to knock most over. The ones not knocked over were momentarily confused by the sudden lack of supporting fire. Robert effortlessly deflected their shots back into them, taking both out.  
  
The van pulled up as Angel and Tony moved ahead to secure the shooters. Both pulled out the zip cuffs they'd brought along in case of prisoners. While they restrained the shooters, Robert took in the sight of disruptor beams lashing down from the skies, slicing through buildings and bridges. The bombardment was indiscriminate, and fires were breaking out across the city.  
  
New Liberty in flames. Just as he'd dreamed for years. Just as he'd dreamed that night before the fateful operation at 33LA, when the fear from those dreams drove him to bad choices. Choices that helped precipitate the war with the Reich.  
  
For a brief moment, the thought _This is my fault_ crossed his mind. He was broken from it by Angel, who called out, "Oh _crap_."  
  
She was standing over one of the prisoners, having patted him down for more weapons. With his shirt pulled up to his arm, a tattoo under his armpit was revealed. A pair of lighting bolt runes. "What the hell is an SS guy…"  
  
"They're here," Jarod said, now hanging out of the van. "They've got ships in orbit, the _Aurora_ and the others are fighting them now."  
  
Angel almost asked how, but she immediately realized what that meant. "They've got the drive. Holy sh…"  
  
"The summit," Robert said. "They're here to disrupt the summit."  
  
"Makes sense, a lot of the attending nations are their old victims," noted Jarod. "So we need to get to the Government Building."  
  
"And Colony Security," Angel said. "Maybe we can get comms going."  
  
"So we need to get back into the city center," Robert said. He eyed the captives. "We don't have room for them. Take their weapons and leave them. We'll…"  
  
A sudden cool feeling came to him. A dark presence, not nearby but somewhere in the Colony. "Let's go, now," he urged, going over to grab some of the SS shooters' guns. Tony and Angel got the others and threw them into the van, piling in with Robert. Jarod got back in the driver's seat and drove between the two dormant aircars.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The orbital space over Gersal was filled with the chaos of battle as individual Alliance ships started arriving. Most were Gersallian vessels approaching from the Ring Station around Gersal's moon, others jumped or warped in to respond to the litany of distress calls from ships that were now broken hulks, some already drifting into the atmosphere.  
  
The Cylons greeted the arriving ships with the same fire, taking fire in turn. Some still fired missiles or weapons into the planet's cities. Jantarihal and some targets were facing energy fire from disruptor cannons mounted on the Basestars; other Gersallian cities suffered far worse from the nuclear warheads deployed against them. Across the planet and further out those with sensitivity gasped in horror at sensing the thousands of lives being snuffed out of existence.  
  
The fire against the planet only stopped as, one by one, the civil defense theater shields started coming online. Delayed by sabotage, and some still non-functional due to the same, these deflector shields absorbed the incoming fire with little effort, protecting damaged and intact cities across the planet.  
  
The Cylons reacted by turning their attention to the incoming ships. Their numbers were not great, but until a full fleet response could descend upon them, their cohesion gave them the advantage against an Alliance still reeling from the sudden attack.  
  
Below the engaging ships, another battle still raged in the Great Temple of the Order. Under Karesl the surviving Knights were rallying and holding their own in the Temple courtyard.  
  
And yet, as they ran across the complex, Lucy and the others knew something else was going on. They could feel it in their very being, and in the facts of the attack. The explosions that preceded the Cylon arrival, taking out the Temple Knight barracks and the Council offices. _There is more to this than the Cylons_ , Lucy insisted mentally. She gave Gina a curious look. _None of the other Cylons ever used_ swevyra _before. None except my clone on New Caprica.  
  
They are Inner Circle_, Gina revealed. _It is the only explanation that makes sense.  
  
Inner Circle_? inquired Talara.  
  
_I was with the Consensus, the majority of organic and non-organic Cylon models_. _The Inner Circle directs and advises the Consensus_.  
  
_They were the ones responsible for the genocide of the Colonies_. That note, not a question, was from Meridina.  
  
_Yes_ was the simple response from Gina. _They were the ones who told us it was God's Plan_.  
  
They found an intact hall connecting to the Offices. As they went down the length of it they came upon a prone figure in purple robes. Meridina was the first to note the blue trim of the robes and went up to roll the figure over. " _Mastrash_ Tinaran," she gasped, and not just from the sight of the senior member of the Order dead before them.  
  
Sticking in Tinaran's chest, right through his heart, was a dagger. Blood was pooled around the blade and the fabric surrounding it, having run in rivulets to the ground beside him. Meridina and Lucy examined the dagger closely, noting that the hilt guard was marked by a hexagon insignia, the same as the ones worn by the Cylon Inner Circle. Lucy pulled the blade out and looked over the bloodied weapon. It was made of common steel, not memory metal, with a sharp tip for stabbing as well as slashing. "He didn't even defend himself," Lucy said, noting Tinaran's _lakesh_ hilt was still on his hip.  
  
"Treachery," Meridina said. "We must hurry."  
  
  
  
  
Far below them, in the dungeons of the Temple, two of the Temple Knights remained on guard over the cells. The two men wore the armor and red robes of their station and quietly meditated, even as they felt the death and violence raging above them.  
  
The attack came without warning. In a split second they sensed the dark energy nearly on top of them, but before either could even pull their blades, blood-red energy blades cut them down despite their armor. The Knights' bodies fell in a thump to the floor.  
  
Nearby the fallen _Mastrash_ Goras sat in quiet meditation, reveling in the fear and death he sensed above. He opened his eyes. Their unnatural gold color betrayed the extent of his corruption. He smiled at the approach of his former "apprentice". "Sister Intalarai," he said. He held up his arms, as if to gesture toward her. But he could not actually gesture for the lack of hands.  
  
"Brother Goras." Intalarai's own gold eyes took in her former master's appearance. Her hair was growing back, coal-black in color, given she no longer needed to keep up the appearance of being his pupil. "Your time has come." She set a case down and, with a gesture, opened his cell.  
  
Goras was still chained, so he summoned the case to him with his power. It slid across the stone floor, rattling as it did, until it was before him. It opened. Inside was a hilt, the same kind that dangled from Intalarai's waist, placed over a set of dark robes the same as hers.  
  
And beside them were two metal hands.  
  
  
  
  
Beth's heart pounded in her chest and her body burned from the unexpected exertion of flight from danger. With a line of panicking, worried dignitaries behind her, she turned the corner in the maintenance wing of the Government Building. The entrance to the bunker below the Government Building was now ahead, in a supply room.  
  
The bunker was not originally planned for New Liberty. It wasn't like there were any known enemies in the H1E4 Universe, after all. But starting a couple of years before Robert had insisted on creating them, for reasons she was still not sure of, and with openings in the budget New Liberty had done so.  
  
The bunker door itself was reinforced starship-grade alloy, tied to an isolated computer system. Beth placed a hand on the panel beside the door. The armored door popped open, revealing a flight of metal stairs leading to the underground emergency living area that would keep a population of hundreds alive for at least a month, with an isolated naqia reactor and attached replicators with stocks, as well as living quarters. "Go!" she urged.  
  
The delegates, Human and non-Human alike, surged by her, moving nearly at a panic. Yvonne Steiner-Davion stood beside the door to help guide them in. The redheaded Inner Sphere princess was joined by her older counterpart Isis Marik, both seeming relatively calm and collected despite the situation.  
  
Beth was joined by Sonek Pran. "I didn't see Governor Kuhln," the multi-species Federation delegate said. "I've no idea where he is."  
  
"He's a powerful telepath, so he's probably safe wherever he is." _Safer than us_.  
  
Beth turned toward the hall further down. In their haste nobody in the rear of the line closed the door to the storage room, so she could see the armed man step into the hall. Just as he turned toward them she rushed up and shut the door. Given the situation it was no surprise that she slammed it, certainly giving away their position. "Go go go," she urged the remaining delegates, following them up to the bunker door. Isis took Sonek's offered hand and stepped in with him.  
  
By this time the door behind them was being pounded. Just as Sonek and Isis crossed the threshold, leaving just Beth and Yvonne, the distinctive sound of a disruptor firing came through it, and the door exploded.  
  
Beth acted instinctively. She shoved Yvonne through the door. The younger woman shrieked in surprise as she fell through the portal to safety. With no time left Beth forced the door closed and slammed the emergency lock key on the control panel, putting the bunker door on internal lockdown. Only those inside could open it.  
  
When the attacker stepped through the door, gun raised, Beth was convinced she was about to die. Instead the gunman stomped across the room and slammed the butt of his rifle against her belly. Beth doubled over in pain. A steel-toed boot slammed into her ribs, cracking one, and she fell over moaning.  
  
Fear and pain gripped her while the gunman tried, in vain, to open the bunker door. She heard him speak in German. " _Brigadeführer,_ the door is locked from the inside."  
  
Another voice replied coldly, "It is of no consequence. When the Colony burns, they will burn as well. We have what we came for."  
  
A moment later another foot viciously kicked Beth, this time in the side. She rolled with the impact and looked up to see another man standing over her. To her shock and horror, he was in a dark SS uniform, complete with a red swastika armband. Blond hair, well-combed, was visible under his officer's cover.  
  
But instead of blue eyes, his eyes were an unnatural, vicious gold color.  
  
"Elizabeth Rankin, elected Governor of New Liberty, and the cousin and only living blood relative of Captain Robert Dale," the man said. His expression betrayed hate and disgust. "And a degenerate who entered a sham marriage with a mongrelized half-African whore."  
  
Beth hissed in anger, "Don't you dare call Annabelle anything like that, you…"  
  
Before she could continue, the SS officer's boot crashed into Beth's cheek. She felt two of her teeth break, one popping out. Blood welled in her mouth as she toppled over.  
  
"Shall I execute her, _Brigadeführer_?" asked the gunman who'd caught her.  
  
"No," said the yellow-eyed SS man. "She is the perfect bait for my prey. Bring her!"  
  
" _Jawohl!_ "  
  
Beth was still reeling from the blows, so she couldn't fight back as she was forcibly lifted to her feet and dragged away.  
  
  
  
  
The Offices for the Council were barely intact, and half the building was a wreck. As Lucy and the others approached they found another fallen figure in a Councillor's robe, this one a tanned woman with gray hair. " _Mastrash_ Hadisina," Meridina noted as they approached, seeing her face and the look of stunned shock that she'd died with. Another of the hexagon-emblazoned daggers was stuck in her body, this through her back and into her heart.  
  
"She was betrayed," Talara said, her expression betraying her own pain. They could feel the deaths that still came from the courtyard, both of their foes and of the Temple's defenders. "The Cylons, how could they have allies inside the Order?"  
  
Meridina frowned. As shocking as it was, in retrospect she didn't feel surprise. Goras' followers had been more than willing to slay Maklir, after all. And there was the matter of Dralan Olati, who received training but without any record of his existence in the Order, or even the Gersalllian government. "They still exist," she murmured.  
  
"Who?" asked Talara.  
  
"The Brotherhood of Kohbal," said Lucy. "That's what you're saying, isn't it?"  
  
"They were supposed to have been wiped out… but we cannot ignore the facts before us."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
The new speaker drew their attention. From the direction of the demolished section of the building, a dusty and haggard Ledosh approached, bearing a case slung on his shoulder. His free hand gripped his lightsaber. "It is good to see you," he said. "We haven't much time."  
  
"What is it, _Mastrash_?" Gina asked. "What do you mean."  
  
"This is a plot nearly three thousand years in the making," Ledosh said. "The Brotherhood bided its time well. If we are to survive, we must keep them from their goal."  
  
"Their goal being?" asked Lucy.  
  
"These." He offered the case to them. Gina took it. "Inside is the _Life of Reshan_ and Gartanam's translation guide to the written language of Swenya's era, along with my notes. The knowledge you need is in these books. Continue my work. Get the books to safety, and do _not_ let them fall into the hands of the Brotherhood."  
  
" _Mastrash_ Karesl has rallied many in the Temple in the courtyard, they're fighting off the Cylons now," Lucy said. "If you join him you might defeat them."  
  
"The Cylons…? They… yes…" Ledosh nodded. "The lightsaber you found on New Caprica. The connection makes sense now. But the Cylons are not the only threat, we…" Suddenly he became alerted. "You must go. Now. Go and retrieve Swenya's Blade, and leave this place." At their confusion, Ledosh added, "It is the key to Reshan's knowledge! You must…"  
  
The others felt it too now, a dark presence, a _familiar_ one. They turned toward an open hole in the damaged wall, facing the other side of the Temple.  
  
Dark-robed figures were entering said hole. Meridina and Lucy felt a shiver of recognition at the bald head of the leader of the group, clad in black robes, a lightsaber grasped in his metal hands.  
  
"Ledosh," purred Goras. "Meridina. And Lucero. It is good that you are here." A sinister smile crossed the fallen master's face as he ignited his lightsaber. Its blood red beam was joined by those in the group around him, one of which Meridina and Lucy recognized as Intalarai. "You took my hands, Lucero. I will take much more from you before I let you die."  
  
"Gina, Talara, get the blade! _Go!_ " Meridina shouted in the moment before Goras, Intalarai, and their allies charged the group. Ledosh's lightsaber blade ignited and intercepted Goras', leaving Intalarai to attack Lucy and the other robed figures to go after Meridina and Gina. Gina's lightsaber flashed to life as well, but Meridina intercepted the three opponents and forced them back with her will. "We will hold them. _GO_."  
  
"Both of you, go now!" Ledosh added, his lightsaber and Goras' locked together.  
  
Gina nodded. She handed the case to Talara, gripped the Falaen woman's free hand, and pulled her away from the battle.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The SS group didn't see the attack coming.  
  
They entered the lobby of the Lodge with guns drawn and moved to clear the room. A pulse blast from near the area of the main desk put the lead man down. His fellows turned their weapons to the desk and opened fire, damaging it and the displays and key shelf behind.  
  
They were so focused on the shooter hidden there that they didn't see Julia and Lee strike until it was too late. They came from the nearby restrooms and rushed across the distance before the gunmen could bring their weapons to bear. Lee immediately punched one and sent the Nazi to the floor. As he went for the man's gun, Julia swept away the rising rifle of the other and struck him in the throat with a chop. While the Nazi gagged for breath, she grabbed his head and smashed his nose into her rising knee, breaking the cartilage and tissue. The blow sent a spurt of hot red blood onto her skin.  
  
The fourth member of the team brought his rifle to bear on her. Another pulse shot rang out and the side of the Nazi's head turned into a blackened mess. He fell over, dead.  
  
Julia reached down and grabbed her opponent in a headlock while Lee struggled with the other for the disruptor rifle between them. Julia's foe was not the largest she'd ever seen, but he was on the larger side, and genetic engineering made him stronger than he looked. Even as her arms cut off blood flow and air through his throat, desperate strength brought him to his feet, lifting even the six foot tall Julia off hers, allowing him to start slamming her against the wall. Despite the pain she held on.  
  
Lee took a punch from his foe that rivaled anything Kara had ever thrown, but held on to the rifle regardless. He replied by headbutting the Nazi in the face, smashing the blonde man's nose with a sickening crunch. The surprise of the blow, and the pain, loosened the man's grip on the rifle enough for Lee to wrench it from his hands. One of those hands balled into a fist and slammed Lee in the jaw. As he stumbled backward, the Nazi followed up with a vicious kick aimed at Lee's knee. The steel in his boot smashed the kneecap, drawing a cry of agony from Lee as he tumbled over.  
  
The Nazi went to reclaim his rifle. He took a shot to the chest before he managed it.  
  
By this point Julia's foe was losing consciousness from her headlock. He smashed her against the wall again for good measure, but before he could try one last time he stumbled forward. Within moments he went down completely. Julia let him drop and winced in pain from the repeated impacts. She noticed Lee writhing on the floor and went over. His smashed left knee was turning purple, as was his left cheek. Blood seeped from a split lip. He looked worse than she did.  
  
Lee noticed her concerned look and forced a grin to his face. "It's fine," he gasped.  
  
"It's a shattered kneecap," she pointed out, helping him up. She brought him over to the desk where Jeong Jin-Taek, the owner and operator of the Colony Visitors' Lodge, rose from behind his desk. The Korean man was middle-aged, with salt and pepper hair, wearing a nice buttoned down dark red shirt and black slacks. He was one of the few Koreans in the Colony who was not rescued from North Korea but had, years before the Facility started liberating North Korean camps, escaped on his own. Family that the crew had gotten from the camps led to Robert and the others contacting him in America, where he quickly agreed to move to New Liberty and help get his family members settled in their new lives. In his arms was a Darglan-model pulse rifle. "Do you have a first aid kit?" she asked.  
  
Jeong nodded. "Over here." His English was thickly accented. He reached down and pulled the kit out.  
  
Julia brought Lee behind the desk. Jeong applied a bandage to the injured knee, with a wrap. "You'll need a medtech," he said to Lee. "I cannot heal with this."  
  
"It's fine," Lee said. "I'll…"  
  
His attention, and Julia's, was taken up from the sight through the glass doors at the end of the lobby. Two air cars pulled up. From them stepped more blond-haired, blue-eyed men cradling Reich-model disruptor rifles. They motioned to each other, one of them clearly giving orders.  
  
"That's not good," Julia said. "But why here?" While Jeong attended to Lee she went over and inspected one of the defeated Nazis. The most prominent object was a hypo-syringe dangling on his belt. From what German she knew, she recognized words for combat and for improvement, showing it was a combat drug of some sort. In the pocket beside the syringe was a datapad. When she activated it, it showed images with the German for "target" on top of the screen. She noticed her face immediately, and Robert's, Jarod's…  
  
"They're after us," she said. "They're after the _Aurora_ command crew. Why?"  
  
"And they don't want you dead." Lee held up the disruptor rifle he'd worked so hard to keep. "This is set to stun."  
  
"They want to capture us, then." The thought sent a shiver down Julia's spine. "They're after me, that's why they're here." She returned to the desk. "There's too many out there. If they attack…"  
  
"You saved my sisters and my father from the camp," Jeong said firmly. "I will gladly fight to protect you, Captain."  
  
"I know, but with Lee in his condition, you won't be able to retreat from here. They'll outflank you…" As she spoke, Julia knew exactly what she needed to do to protect both.  
  
Lee noticed the look in her eye and nodded. "I'm sorry," he said. "If I wasn't…"  
  
"It's fine. Help Jeong hold out. I'll draw them away."  
  
"Don't be a hero. Get away from them," Lee admonished.  
  
"That's my plan. I've seen what they do to prisoners," Julia replied.  
  
Jeong stepped into the office behind his desk and came out with a second rifle. "My backup," he said. "Charge clip is old, but we can…"  
  
She took the second rifle instead of his main one. "I'll make do. You're the one facing a siege situation." She slung it over her shoulder. It occurred to her that given she was in clothing meant for playing basketball - white tank top, burgundy red sports bra and shorts that ended above the knee - she looked like she was from some action movie more than anything. _Tom would make some kind of smartass comment about that right about now_.  
  
She and Lee might have exchanged more words, but the sound of the door opening ended all of that. Jeong opened fire from behind his desk. Lee brought up the disruptor rifle he'd taken to do the same. Julia, no options left, dashed for the door they'd entered from. She sprayed the door with fire with another disruptor beam sizzling by her head, an inch or so away from her shoulder. Jeong shot down the shooter.  
  
After Julia went through the door she heard a distant voice barking in German. Figuring they were circling to take the direct exits around the lobby, she ran the way they came, looking to exit out the back. As she did she keyed her omnitool. "Locarno, I'm being pursued by SS, they're after us, as in everyone from the _Aurora_! Warn the others and see if you can find anyone to come help Jeong and Lee, they're in the Visitors Lodge lobby!"  
  
  
  
  
Thanks to the _Aurora_ , this transmission was immediately heard in the van. Robert felt a lump in his throat. Julia was apparently on her own and being chased, and the other SS attackers would undoubtedly pursue them as well.  
  
"I guess we know what was going on with that warehouse," Tony noted grimly. "They weren't just smuggling in explosives, they were bringing in SS men too. And weapons."  
  
"Cat, Jarod, can you track where Julia is?" Robert asked. "We can go help her."  
  
"We can, but Colony Security HQ should be our priority," Jarod reminded him. "Not to mention securing the summit reps."  
  
He was right, of course, but the idea that Julia was in trouble… he needed to get to her, to help her, and then together they could deal with the situation.  
  
"Do it anyway, we'll do what we have to," he said. As they went to work Robert tried to quiet the surge of emotion he felt. The idea that the SS were after them, as in the crew of the _Aurora_ in particular.  
  
_Not that I should be surprised. If he's behind this attack then…_  
  
"There's a general transmission coming from the Government Building," Cat said. "Video and audio."  
  
Robert turned to face the ops van screens. "Put it on."  
  
The image showed the shattered foyer of the Government Building. Beside the broken reception desk stood Erik Fassbinder, in an SS uniform, with the three branch rank tab of a _Brigadeführer_ on his collar. " _I know you are out there,_ Herr _Dale. We have unfinished business from Germania, indeed, from the day we met._ "  
  
"That bastard just doesn't know when to die, does he?" Angel grumbled.  
  
" _Allow me to make it clear. Come to me at your Government Building, and I may indulge in mercy for your colony of pathetic_ untermensch _and leave in peace. Refuse and I will kill everyone. Starting with the ruler of this pathetic place_." Fassbinder turned and the video recorder followed his eyes. Beth was on her knees between two armed SS fighters, bruised and beaten. A third SS trooper smashed the side of her face with a baton, sending a spray of blood from her nose and mouth. Robert felt a surge of horror and blind anger at his cousin being abused. " _Her life is in your hands,_ Kapitan. _Don't keep me waiting_."  
  
When the call ended, Angel immediately said, "Trap."  
  
"Trap," Jarod agreed.  
  
"Trap," said Cat.  
  
"Obviously," added Tony.  
  
Robert nodded grimly. Even as he did, he knew that he had a choice to make. Go to help his cousin, or to help Julia.  
  
It was a choice he never imagined he'd have to make and one he didn't think he could make.  
  
And yet, he'd have to. And do so decisively, with the others watching.  
  
Robert breathed in to steady himself, and then made his choice, praying it was the right one.  
  
  
  
  
Near the broken remains of the Order offices, Lucy and Meridina fought with all they had to help Ledosh, who stood alone against Goras. The fallen former _Mastrash_ seemed even more powerful, and even more corrupt, than the day he'd tried to kill Meridina. He wielded the lightsaber in his prosthetic hands with deadly power and skill. Ledosh was clearly not his equal, but had the raw power to stymie Goras' attacks.  
  
Lucy recognized her opponent from the attack on the Alliance Senate. But her hair was growing back now, coal-black in color, and her eyes now had the unnatural yellow of someone given over to darkness. Lucy had the feeling Intalarai had been holding back that day in the Senate; despite her own increase in skill since then, she was struggling even more to hold off Intalarai's strikes. Intalarai kept Lucy on her back foot, her red lightsaber flashing through the air with a speed even Goras never managed, and it was everything Lucy could do to parry the blows.  
  
The three other robed figures were teaming up on Meridina, each eager to kill her. Despite her skill, their training was sufficient to overwhelm her if anything else, and she too was being driven back. But Meridina had an edge they did not. She revealed this when, after buying a moment with another quick retreat, she focused her mind in an attack on her lead opponent. Telepathically she slammed through his mental defenses, altering his perception of reality. Convinced suddenly that gravity had shifted around him, he lost his balance in trying to compensate for what did not actually exist. As he fell over Meridina struck, slicing his arm off at the shoulder. He howled as he hit the ground.  
  
"Goras, what have you become?" Ledosh asked. "I feel it in you. You _embrace_ this madness."  
  
"I have had the scales lifted from my eyes." Goras' blade came within a centimeter of slicing through Ledosh's shoulder before he successfully parried. "I know the truth!"  
  
Ledosh said nothing in reply. Mentally he insisted, _You must go! Get the Blade and leave!  
  
You will be overwhelmed! _protested Meridina.  
  
_That does not matter! The books and the Blade must be taken from this place, taken somewhere safe! They are the key to everything! If Goras and the Brotherhood acquire them, they can break the Circle!  
  
What circle?!_ Lucy demanded, jumping to the side and barely avoiding a strike from Intalarai. She parried the follow-up cut.  
  
_The book will explain! Now go!_ With that Ledosh turned away from Goras long enough to focus his power on the other combatants. Intalarai and her compatriots all went flying. _Go!_ he urged, turning back and barely stopping a strike from Goras.  
  
Lucy and Meridina might have stayed anyway, but they sensed the danger to Gina and Talara. More than that, they sensed that Ledosh was right. Though it hurt, especially for Meridina, they broke out into a power-augmented run to catch up to the others.  
  
Intalarai recovered. With a snarl on her face, she took off after them. Her compatriots were slower to recover, but they followed.  
  
  
  
  
The Council Chamber was more intact than other parts of the Temple. One of the bomb blasts left the entire north side a pile of rubble, but the pit where the Council met and where Swenya's relics were kept was untouched. Gina and Talara rushed in and went to the pit and the ceremonial stands there. Swenya's robes and sandals were still in their cases.  
  
Her blade was gone.  
  
"Where is the blade?!" a male voice demanded. The two turned and faced three of the Cylons. One was a doppelganger of Gina, accompanied by one of the Cavils and one of the Valeriis.  
  
And all had their lightsabers active.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene from the POV of Shaw and the Pegasus was written by Turandokht.


	5. Chapter 5

The Cavil was glaring angrily at them, his eyes burning red like coals. Dark power crackled around him. "What have you done with the blade, traitor?!"  
  
Gina snarled back. "Don't play me for a fool. It's what you're here for, isn't it?"  
  
"You have betrayed your kind, Gina Inviere," her counterpart hissed. "There is no punishment terrible enough, painful enough, to atone for that."  
  
"I've suffered for my part in our crimes," Gina retorted. "And don't pretend that you have the moral high ground. The Inner Circle's been using the Consensus the entire time, hasn't it? All of it, the idea of God's Plan, the promise of a better world, it was all a lie for this!" She swept her hand to the destruction. "All so you could destroy!"  
  
"The Consensus has its place," the man said. "Now give us Swenya's Blade and Reshan's book, and we'll let you die with the rest."  
  
Gina held up her weapon. There was nowhere Talara could run, but if she got them into a fight, Talara might get an opening to escape with the books. "Come and take them," she challenged.  
  
  
  
  
The orbital space over New Liberty Colony was littered with the broken debris of destroyed vessels, victims of the sudden SS attack. One of the few remaining ships, the Asari cruiser _Thelana_ , unloaded a full salvo from its mass effect cannons into a struggling _Sedan_ -class cruiser. The Reich-designed cruiser suffered from the impacts, losing a weapons emplacement. Phaser fire from the _Charleston_ raked across unshielded hull and a photon torpedo slammed into the cruiser's nacelle, destroying it.  
  
The _Thelana_ maneuvered to finish off the SS vessel. It never got the chance to fire again, however, as three thick disruptor beams from the spinal mount of the SS dreadnought - the _Reinhard Heydrich_ by its ID code - smashed through the _Thelana_ 's decayed deflectors and tore the ship to pieces.  
  
On the _Aurora_ bridge Locarno noted the loss of the cruiser. That left just the _Aurora_ , the _Excelsior_ -class _Charleston_ , and the FedCom battlecruiser _Melissa Steiner_ in the fight. They were badly outgunned and outnumbered, but to leave would doom New Liberty Colony to bombardment and destruction, so the three ships remained and fought, hoping for reinforcements.  
  
A series of disruptor beams from two of the accompanying cruisers raked over the _Aurora_ 's faltering shields. Syrandi returned fire, sending plasma beams into the weak side of one of the cruisers. The _Melissa Steiner_ 's naval PPCs and refitted plasma cannons fired on the other side. Large anti-ship missiles from the Commonwealth ship erupted from launchers on her side. With new impulsor drives on the missiles they raced across the distance faster than the SS ship could handle, their warheads degrading the ship's deflectors to the point they were losing cohesion.  
  
Another of the cruisers moved in, absorbing further shots for their weakened ally. Disruptor beams and shield-disrupting torpedoes retaliated against the FedCom ship. " _Melissa Steiner_ 's shields are down to forty percent," Tra'dur stated. The _Aurora_ rocked again. "Our shields now at thirty-five."  
  
'Anything on fleet comms?" Locarno asked.  
  
"Still nothing," Tra'dur replied. "I'm not sure if we're being jammed or if something has overwhelmed the fleet comm system."  
  
That was not news Locarno wished to hear. _Three ships against a dreadnought with that many escorts? We're not going to win this_. Aloud he ordered, "Maintain evasive maneuvers. Our priority is surviving until help can arrive!"  
  
"Aye aye, sir," Ensign Rawlins said from the helm.  
  
_It's still a question of whether we_ can _survive_ , Locarno mused to himself while the ship rocked again.  
  
  
  
  
Jarod brought the op van to a stop outside of what was left of Colonial Security's vehicle garage. A bomb had wrecked the place, damaging or destroying every vehicle inside and burying the entrance in enough rubble to make getting through an insurmountable challenge. Upon opening the door Jarod heard the distant whine of disruptors firing, joined by the familiar sound of pulse rifles. He scanned the area and shook his head. "No way in," he said. "This entire side of the building's been gutted."  
  
"Then we go around," Angel said. "They'll need every gun. There's no telling how many people they've lost."  
  
Jarod nodded and drove on. Rubble blocked the nearest road, but the sidewalk was not covered. He drove the van over said sidewalk.  
  
After the next turn, the sight of fighting was visible. A line of aircars were covering the entrance to Security HQ, men in combat suits using them for cover while firing green disruptor beams into the building. With only a second to spare before being spotted, Jarod slammed the accelerator on the van. The engine went straight to the maximum output. The vehicle shot forward, anti-gravs whining in effort, toward the blockade line. A couple of the combatants had time to notice them coming. Warnings were shouted, but far too late. The van slammed between two vehicles, clipping two of the armed attackers in the process, and broke through. Keeping control of the van was one of the hardest things Jarod ever did. The impacts and the speed made it begin to tip. He resisted the urge to correct too far, keeping the vehicle balanced until he could spin it to present the driver's side to the blockade. He immediately ducked down and scrambled to the back, where Angel and Tony were jumping out already. A disruptor beam damaged the glass that had been beside his head a second ago. A second went through just as he was out of the way. He joined Cat in exiting the van and scrambling toward the broken-open door to Security HQ. They had to walk over fallen figures in security uniforms to make it. Inside, rifle-carrying security officers helped them to cover.  
  
By that point the van gave up the ghost. Struck too many times by the enemy disruptors, it fell apart, little more than a skeletal frame. Disruptor beams sizzled into the open door of the HQ. Angel and Tony joined the other security figures in cover, joining them in returning fire when able.  
  
"Jarod! Some help?" The cry came from Broots, who was kneeling beside the fallen form of Chief Almerda. The former Colombian police officer had a severe disruptor burn on his right arm and, from what Jarod could see, a neck injury that likely came from the bombing. He scrambled over to help Broots. "I've done what I can," Broots said.  
  
"And it's good," Jarod said, looking over the injury. He summoned up his own medical knowledge to assess Almerda's injuries. "Where's your medic?"  
  
"Dead," Broots said, his voice hoarse. "The bomb took out the garage and administration." He indicated the cut on his head. "I was just coming back from the bathroom. If I'd been a minute faster I'd…"  
  
"Don't think about it."  
  
He nodded. "Debbie," he said. "I can't reach her. They… they sabotaged the comm net somehow."  
  
"Cat?" Jarod gave her a look.  
  
"Right." Cat nodded in reply. She wasn't a computer expert, but if there was jamming from an emissions source, she could find it. She used her omnitool and went to work.  
  
"Debbie's out there, Jarod, and I know she's scared and…"  
  
"...and you'll see her when this is over," Jarod insisted, hoping that he wasn't wrong. "Now, I need to get Chief Almerda stabilized. I'm going to need your help…"  
  
  
  
  
A short distance away, Robert came upon a patrolling unit of SS in the combat uniforms and suits of their Marine detachments. His weapon flashed in the air, deflecting the first shot at him. He allowed no time for them to fire another, sending a wave of violent force outward that threw them into the nearest building violently. His lightsaber literally disarmed the two that got back to their feet. Their cries of pain at their mutilation ended with another jolt that knocked them to the ground, unconscious. He took a second to slice up their weapons.  
  
The Government Building was just a few blocks away. If he encountered no more resistance, he'd be there in minutes. Every sense in him told him that was where he needed to go. But a small part insisted otherwise. Insisted that Julia was in danger and that she needed his help.  
  
_But Beth needs me more_ , he reminded himself. He clenched a fist in revolt at the entire idea. Having to pick either? That seemed like a cruel joke.  
  
But it was no joke, it was necessity. And everything in him told him he needed to go help Beth. To face down Fassbinder. He went on that path. _Be safe, Julie, please be safe_...  
  
  
  
  
Once out of the Lodge Julia went for somewhere that would lessen the risk that innocents would be caught in the crossfire. Given the situation, the Lake Park was the best bet, and it wasn't too far away. Even if it wasn't an urban environment, the forested paths and the lake were all places she could lose her pursuers in.  
  
She crossed Suun Avenue. As always the name of the street brought her back to those first months in the Facility, and Suun Tek's team being the first of their number to die. _We got complacent. And here we are, complacent again. The Nazis got the drive and we never saw it coming!_  
  
Julia reacted the moment she heard the scuff of feet against the replicated pavement. The SS man came at her from the nearby alley, weapon raised. With nowhere to go but forward she dropped and lunged. A disruptor beam sizzled an inch over her head, singing some of her blond hair. She crashed into the man and didn't quite knock him off his feet. He was left open to her follow-up strike, a palm strike to his throat that briefly interrupted his breathing. As he started to gag reflexively she hooked her leg under his and brought his foot out from under him, knocking him down. A pulse shot to his chest finished him off.  
  
Julia felt a rush of almost feral joy at her triumph, but it was short-lived. She glanced back and noticed an armed team of SS coming from the direction of the Lodge. They spotted her and shouted a command in German. She replied with a couple shots from her rifle before running for the park.  
  
  
  
  
Lucy and Meridina could feel Intalarai and the others pursuing them as they crossed back toward the Council Hall. They also felt that Gina and Talara were in danger. Both facts prompted them to run as quickly as possible.  
  
What stopped them was the sight outside of the Initiates' Quarter. The round structure was partially damaged from the bombing; in the shadow of the Council Hall, it was one of the less-adorned buildings, being the housing and living quarters for the children admitted to the Order for training. At its great double doors, now sealed, two dark-clad Cylons were melting through the door with their lightsabers.  
  
The two only sensed Lucy and Meridina coming at the last moment. One, the second of the younger Caucasian male models, brought his blade up in challenge. He successfully deflected Meridina's initial attacks, but couldn't get his blade in place to stop Lucy from sliding her blue blade through his guts. He fell over in pain, defeated.  
  
The other Cylon was a model neither had seen before, a brunette Caucasian. She turned away from the door. Lightning crackled from her hand. Lucy's lightsaber intercepted it, holding the energy back. Meridina went in for the attack and was parried. Instead of slashing again, she attacked mentally. The Cylon's brain was partially technology, but there was organic matter too, organic elements, and she was able to identify the vision center and shut it down. The Cylon's lightning stopped as she lost all sight of her foes, suddenly plunged into visual darkness. Her metaphysical senses still functioned, but the sudden loss of vision threw the Cylon off-balance. She could do nothing before Lucy's lightsaber blade went through her chest.  
  
Lucy stood over the Cylons, one critically wounded and one dying, then glanced toward Meridina. "I've never seen you go after someone telepathically like that," she said.  
  
Meridina was paling and nodded. "I have had experiences recently in the possible range of my gifts," she confided. "On _Babylon-5_. Necessity provided the rest."  
  
Lucy wasn't sure she liked hearing that, but she couldn't argue with the necessity part. Not here and now, with the Great Temple itself a battlefield.  
  
Both turned in time to see Intalarai approach. Far behind her the other dark-robed members of the Brotherhood joined her. "Kill them!" Intalarai hissed to her evident subordinates.  
  
Lucy and Meridina nearly started to run. But they sensed staying would provide the best outcome, so they held their lightsabers ready and prepared to fight. Both met Intalarai, who whirled and twisted between, parrying their strikes one after the other Her lightsaber slashed back, nearly missing Meridina's head one moment, the next singing Lucy's arm through the armor. It was clear she was a strong match for either of them and could fend off both for some time. With three allies, she would have the advantage.  
  
Then there was another snap-hiss. A lightsaber blade of dark purple suddenly went through the torso of one of the approaching attackers. The others turned and were thrown violently away by solid will. Behind them, a red-robed man was now visible.  
  
Meridina sensed him. _Sergeant-at-Arms Hajamar_ , she thought.  
  
The leader of the Temple Knights was already in motion again, his lightsaber flashing through the air. It caught one of the red blades and forced it back, after which he delivered a rib-crunching kick to the black-robed Gersallian attacking him. That one went back down. The one remaining foe on their feet attempted to channel lightning at Hajamar. He contemptuously absorbed it with his hand before gripping his attacker and throwing the dark-robed man into Intalarai. Both went to the ground in a heap.  
  
Lucy favored her injured arm for a moment. "Nice timing," she gasped.  
  
"Fools," Intalarai spat, pushing her ally off. "You've already lost! The time of Swenya's Order is over!" With that declaration Goras' former apprentice seemed to shimmer from sight. Even her essence faded from their senses, as if she wasn't there. The remaining dark-clad figure scrambled to his feet and started to run, but Meridina put him to sleep with a mental command that pierced his mental defenses. He collapsed to the ground.  
  
Hajamar approached them. He was still bald, with his tanned skin a shade darker than Lucy's. Brown eyes appraised both. Given the ease with which he'd taken down Intalarai's allies Lucy couldn't help but think back to the day Hajamar and a half-dozen of his subordinates came to the _Aurora_ to arrest Meridina. Robert had held her back from interfering, and it was clearly a good thing he had. "Commander Meridina. Lucilla Lucero." He nodded to them. His voice showed his respect for them. "Swenya's Light, it's good to see you both alive. Did you find _Mastrash_ Ledosh?"  
  
"He bade us to meet with his apprentice and Lucy's," Meridina said. "He sent them to retrieve Swenya's Blade. He believes these Cylons are after it."  
  
"I see. He and Karesl are the only members of the Council still alive."  
  
"Swenya's Light, no," Meridina replied. "We found Tinaran and Hadisina already dead, but I had hoped…"  
  
"They were betrayed," Lucy said. "Attacked by someone they trusted."  
  
"So were the others," noted Hajamar. His expression was dark. The protection of the Council was one of his duties, after all, and Maklir's death on the night of Goras' _coup_ attempt had been bad enough for him. "The Brotherhood right under our noses all this time… where is Ledosh then?"  
  
"Fighting Goras," Lucy said. "We should go help him!"  
  
"The children take priority," Hajamar said. "I have had one of our transports readied for launch. But the anti-transporter defenses must be lowered before we can evacuate."  
  
"You two stay and guard the children," Lucy advised. "I'll get to the Hall and lower the defenses."  
  
Meridina nodded in agreement. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Lucy."  
  
" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."  
  
Lucy took off for the Council Hall.  
  
  
  
  
Gina had never faced a tougher battle than the one she was waging. Three foes, each as well-trained as her if not moreso, and Talara had no knowledge with a blade to aid her in the duel. Talara was trying to help as best as she could, throwing loose chairs and items from the damaged room at the Cylons while Gina matched blades with them. Whenever it looked like Talara might escape, one of the three would break off long enough to cut her off, while the other two continued their relentless assault on Gina.  
  
Her best efforts kept her alive, but just alive. Lightsaber scorch marks left damaged portions on her robes and suit, revealing blistered and burnt skin. Gina blocked out the pain - she was used to pain - but slowly her body was being weakened by the damage. She would lose this fight, and only her own will to stand, to oppose these dark beings that corrupted her people, kept her on her feet. She deflected blows from both, knocked back her doppelganger, brought her lightsaber over to block the Cavil's next attack. She watched the Valerii model come in, lightsaber raised for the kill.  
  
The Valerii's lightsaber slashed through the air… and severed the Cavil's head from his shoulders.  
  
Gina's doppelganger had no time to react. The Valerii turned and drove her blade into the copy's forehead. The red blade easily punctured flesh and bone and destroyed the brain and cybernetic pieces within with ease.  
  
Gina and Talara stared at the Cylon in bewilderment. The Valerii model extinguished her lightsaber and placed it on her belt. "I'm sorry for the burns, Gina Inviere," she said. "But you must leave. _Now_."  
  
"Who are you?" Gina demanded. "What is going on?"  
  
"This place is marked for destruction," the Valerii replied. "Once the others know that Swenya's Blade and Reshan's book are beyond their reach, they will atomize the Temple. You _must_ flee."  
  
"She's telling the truth," Talara said. "But why did you turn on your people? Who are you?"  
  
A sad, forlorn look came to the Cylon. "I am her, daughter of Altea," was the reply, the Cylon indicating Gina. "I saw my people turn a grand vision into a nightmare, and I have done what I can to change that. Now, you must go, _please_. The Brotherhood would break the Circle, and the Darkness would win!"  
  
"What Circle?" Gina asked. "Who are you truly? _What is your name and why should we trust you?_ "  
  
Frustration showed on the Cylon's face. Frustration and resignation. "I was once called Athenina," the Cylon confessed. "And I must go now. Please, flee to your ship, and retrieve Meridina and Lucilla. They _must_ survive!" With that she turned and ran.  
  
As the Cylon departed Talara looked back to the stands. "If they don't have the Blade, who does?"  
  
"We'll find out later. Right now…" Gina left the pit area and walked up to the Council's position above the relics and the portrait of Swenya. She ran her hands along the controls while Talara followed. "We need to get out of here," Gina said. "And the quickest way is your ship."  
  
The door to the Hall opened. Lucy raced in. She looked up to Gina and Talara. "Hajamar wants the anti-beaming shields down," she said.  
  
"I'm lowering them now."  
  
Lucy looked to the two fallen Cylons with surprise. "Both at once?" she asked.  
  
"No," Gina replied. "Another of the Cylons, Sharon Valerii's model, she… she turned on them."  
  
"She helped us," Talara added. "She warned us the Temple is going to be destroyed soon."  
  
At first Lucy didn't know what to say. Then a thought came to her. "New Caprica," she muttered. "Someone killed the Cylon who was going to pump poison gas into the bunkers and kill the Colonials." She shook her head. "Never mind. Did you get the Blade?"  
  
"It wasn't here," said Talara. "And the Cylons were still looking for it."  
  
"Dammit," muttered Lucy. By now she was running up to join them. "We'll figure this out later. Right now we need to get those anti-beaming fields down. Hajamar's evacuating the initiates, and if what you said is true, we need to get everyone out of the Temple."  
  
"I'm getting into the system now."  
  
"Do you have a passcode?" Lucy asked.  
  
"No. It's not accessed by passcode," Gina replied. "The system is closed with no access to outside networks. A passcode is seen as redundant."  
  
"Nice to know how secure this place is then…" Lucy went for her omnitool before noticing that comms were still down. She went for the other, less-jammable form of communication, reaching for Meridina's being with her own. She felt Meridina's presence not far away, still with Hajamar, twin bright beacons in the darkness the Cylon Inner Circle brought to the Temple. _Meridina, we're lowering the field now. Evacuate to the_ Rio Grande _. The Cylons are planning to destroy the Temple_.  
  
_I will join you there. But I must evacuate my father first.  
  
Alright. Let me know when you have_. Lucy tapped away at her omnitool. The jamming was a problem, but she managed to get a comm line to the _Rio Grande_ 's systems. "I'm keying the transporter to take us the moment that field comes down," she told Gina.  
  
"Field is coming down… now." Gina hit a final key. The display before her showed the image of a circle of light around the temple retracting.  
  
Lucy nodded. "Good. Let's get to the _Rio_."  
  
  
  
  
  
Robert arrived at Landing Circle and found a scene right from his nightmares. Fires blazed from buildings damaged by bombing and orbital fire. Bodies of slain residents were lying everywhere. The green parkland at the center of the roundabout, marking the point where the first survey teams beamed down to begin inspecting the colony site, was ablaze. The sculpture of the surveyors was blackened, if intact.  
  
The Government Building started as a prefab Darglan structure. Since then a facade of marble had been added to the front, including the steps leading up to the main entrance and the foyer within. Debris from a bomb filled the steps, as did several fallen bodies. Robert felt the dark presence ahead of him and, moreso, his cousin's fear. Beth was there, along with other hostages. Staff or other officials, Robert thought, seized for this purpose. He felt a surge of pain from Beth and his steps quickened. He was in a full run by the time he reached the top of the steps. His lightsaber blazed to life in his hand as he entered the broken doors.  
  
On the first floor, damage from the bomb was evident. This had been at or near the blast point. To other side Robert saw a line of SS soldiers, all in combat armor. Two large _Panzergrenadier_ suits were looking straight at him.  
  
Beyond the lines were another line of SS troops. This one stood behind about half a dozen people on their knees, hands tied behind their backs. The one nearest to Robert was Beth. She looked at him through black eyes and cheeks swelling purple from the blows rained on her face. Blood poured from a broken nose and from her mouth. Her expression betrayed her fear and her misery. He felt her sadness at his arrival, knowing she'd been bait for this trap. Worry for her people, for Annabelle, for Deborah, filled the rest of her thoughts, and there were tears in her eyes at the thought of all of the people of New Liberty killed this day.  
  
Without waiting, Robert looked up to the second floor overlooking the foyer. Fassbinder stood there in full uniform, flanked by more SS soldiers, his formerly-blue eyes turned unnaturally yellow from the darkness in his being. "Let them go!" Robert demanded.  
  
"Ah, there you are. Right on time." Fassbinder smiled, and it was an evil thing. "You thought me dead, _Herr_ Dale, did you not? At Gamma Piratus." Fury flashed through Fassbinder's eyes. "Now you will pay for your presumption."  
  
"Yeah. Lesson learned." Robert's face twisted into an angry snarl. "I'll make sure you're dead this time."  
  
Fassbinder laughed at that, although the angry look never left his eyes. "Ah, _Herr_ Dale, such a thing to say for someone following that pathetic drivel the Gersallians believe in," he said with delight. "Perhaps there is some stirring in your watered down Aryan blood. It's quite amusing..."  
  
"Let's get down to it, Fassbinder," Robert growled. "This isn't a negotiation. You wanted me, you got me."  
  
"Indeed. And I am happy to see it. There are many things you must answer for. The torments I will inflict upon you for your crimes…" Fassbinder savored the anticipation. "It is quite appropriate you once thought me dead. You thought the Reich slain too. We, the great nightmares of your past, finally vanquished. Such pathetic vision you and your precious Alliance have. Hitler's vision lives on, and it will remain alive long after your pathetic Alliance has been broken into dust and this colony turned to ash! I will ensure it!"  
  
"After today we'll be ready for you," Robert declared. "The SS won't get to pull off another sneak attack like this."  
  
"We won't need to," said Fassbinder, who chuckled with delight. "The terror we have wrought is a toxin that will do the work needed. And it brings me great pleasure to know I am the one who poisoned your Alliance." He laughed and, sensing Robert's incredulity, continued, "Your people will build defenses, yes. They will take measures against another attack like today's. But the need to maintain these efforts will change them. The Alliance was built on softer foundations than the Reich. It is made of pathetic fantasies of collective security and mutual cooperation. With our threat and your other enemies, we will expose the insufficiency of these delusions. To stop us, you will have to embrace our strength and make it your own. You will have to _become_ us, _Herr_ Dale."  
  
"No we won't," Robert insisted. "The Alliance is strong enough to fight you without going that far."  
  
Fassbinder laughed. "So naive, _Herr_ Dale. So naive! I may let you live long enough to see otherwise. A final torment among all the others. Either way, let us dispense with the charade. You are here. You are mine. I no longer have a need to let this degenerate filth you call family live. Beth Rankin will die and you know it. It's just a matter of how long I wish to enjoy your suffering on the rack of false hope."  
  
Robert glanced around the room and drew in a breath. Fassbinder likely did have him, and the only way for him to escape this trap was to go all-out, to throw everything in an uncontrolled, raw wave of power that might harm Beth and the other hostages.  
  
He felt a sense of warning and raised his lightsaber in defense. Purple lightning shot from Fassbinder's hands. His weapon intercepted the lightning.  
  
But Fassbinder wasn't the only one present with this power. Two more of his SS, these on the ground floor, attacked as well, from opposite angles. Robert couldn't deflect them all at once. The darkness-powered lightning crackled around him. His body spasmed and pain filled him, drawing a cry he couldn't hold back. His weapon lowered and Fassbinder's lightning enveloped him, increasing the agony.  
  
"Rob!" Beth cried out, but she could do nothing. The SS soldier behind her pressed a disruptor pistol to the back of her head.  
  
Robert tried to gather himself to fight back, but the attack he was under was too strong, too intense. He fell to his knees, dropped his weapon, and then to his side. His eyes fixed on Beth, and his mind went to Julia, as he felt he was failing them both.  
  
  
  
  
When Julia arrived at the park end of Suun Avenue, she nearly ran right into the trap.  
  
Only her caution at rounding the coffee shop kept her from walking right into a kill zone of SS. She fell back just before a disruptor beam sizzled through the space she'd been standing in. Turning back the other way, her pursuers were visible again. She was left no choice but to go into the shop. There was no one inside, no one she could see, and unfinished coffee mugs at the diner-like bar spoke of a hasty evacuation. Julia went to the bar and grabbed one of the mugs. The coffee was stronger and more bitter than she liked, but the caffeine was welcome. Food would have been as well, but there was no sign of that.  
  
She got behind the bar just as the first SS came through the door. She turned and shot him just before he could shoot her. The trooper behind her target fired even as he entered, a shot that struck the wall by her head. Staying low, Julia followed the bar back to the storage area. She heard others entering to knew she had to get out, if she could find a way through the back.  
  
The backroom was somewhat cluttered, giving it a used look, like something you'd expect from a family business. In her rush Julia nearly tripped over a box of coffee filters and she had to squeeze through two piles of big, industrial-sized coffee ground bags. She looked down and noticed one was still on an anti-grav palletjack. She grabbed the handle, twisted it so the jack was on track for the door, and shoved it with all of her might.  
  
The pile of grounds hit the first SS man as he came through the door, knocking him back and off his feet while briefly blocking the doorway.  
  
Julia continued on, entering a small office area, and went for the door beyond. She slammed into it and pushed the handle.  
  
The moment it opened, disruptor shots filled the doorway. One caught Julia in the left arm, deadening the entire limb. She brought the rifle up and fired a shot with the rifle before the door closed. Swinging back the other way, the rifle lined up with a pursuer entering the hall. She pulled the trigger again.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
  
  
  
The situation was growing worse by the time Jarod finally got Chief Almerda back on his feet somewhat. The fire coming in the entrance was escalating. The enemy had reinforcements; they didn't, nor could they get any.  
  
Near the entrance, Angel briefly looked out from cover and laid down a barrage. It hit nothing, only succeeding in compelling a charging SS trooper to drop. A disruptor beam sizzled past her head and Angel fell back into cover. Nearby Tony did the same thing. He too avoided getting shot. The Venezuelan _criollo_ beside him was not so lucky, taking a fatal disruptor shot to the head. Angel swallowed and looked to Tony. "Get Cat out of here, Tony. Her and Jarod. _Now_."  
  
"I'm not leaving you babe," Tony vowed. "You take 'em."  
  
"Dammit, I'm the superior officer here, remember?!"  
  
"And the more badass fighter, yeah," Tony said. "So you'll do a better job protecting them."  
  
Cat came back, although remaining out of the line of fire. "The comm arrays were sabotaged directly, like, physically damaged or destroyed. I'd have to get to one to repair it and get comms back."  
  
"That won't be easy," Almerda said. "The bomb ruined most of the ways up."  
  
"Well, we need reinforcements," Cat insisted.  
  
"You need to get out," Angel said. "You'll be trapped if you go up."  
  
Beside Almerda, Broots looked up. "I'll go," he offered.  
  
"Broots, Debbie…"  
  
"...won't live if we don't kick them out," Broots finished for Jarod.  
  
"And she needs her Dad," Jarod countered. "Cat and I'll go."  
  
"We won't hold them for long," Tony said. "They're getting to the door."  
  
Almerda looked barely able to stand, but he drew his pistol anyway. "Go on, we'll do what we can. But we need reinforcements."  
  
A moment after he spoke that, Angel heard more weapons fire from outside. Not the whine of the disruptor, but the distinctive _whum whum whum_ of pulse fire and the particular thunder of mass effect-field firearms, among other sounds. Shouts in German, Spanish, and other languages abounded, and less and less of it was in German.  
  
Angel crept toward the door and looked out in time to see one of the SS troopers gunned down by pulse fire. The distinctive sound of a Klingon disruptor joined it, creating an emerald beam that vaporized another of the SS troopers. The shooters were coming from the southwest. None were uniformed, all wearing civilian clothing. Some had tattoos over their arms, some didn't, and they were from every ethnicity in the Colony. Angel noticed one couple that looked Vulcanoid and fired Romulan disruptors instead, using them to vaporize another SS attacker.  
  
The SS forces didn't stop fighting, but they did fall back. As the battle was pushed away from the Security HQ door, Angel saw who was leading them and muttered, "I'll be damned."  
  
By the time Almerda came up to the door with the others, they were treated to the sight of the heavyset Hernan de Corelo jumping off of the open bed of a flatbed truck. Bandoleers of charge clips and grenades criss-crossed his torso, making him look like a guerilla more than a bar owner and criminal boss. He met Almerda's eyes, a fierce look on his face. When he finally spoke, it was with a raised fist smacking against his chest over his heart. " _Viva Nuevoliberteños!_ "  
  
Almerda nodded and, despite his injury, repeated the gesture. " _Viva Nuevoliberteños!_ "  
  
Angel nodded to Corelo. "Good to see you, Hernan," she said.  
  
"And you too, Angry Angel," Corelo said. "Like I said before, this is my home, and the people of New Liberty, they are my people. All of them." He nodded to Almerda. "Whatever else, nothing harms them. Nothing hurts them. So if you don't mind, we have some _Nazi_ pendejos _to kill!_ " He raised his voice at the end, drawing a roar of approval from the others.  
  
Corelo and his impromptu, mostly-criminal militia continued on. "And to think I wanted to charge that man," Almerda said.  
  
"You have good reason. He's still a criminal," Angel said.  
  
"True. And I'm here to uphold the law. But on a day like today… whatever his failings morally, Corelo is one of ours, and that's what matters."  
  
"Yeah." Angel approached the most intact-looking of the vehicles the SS left behind. "Cat! Jarod! Come hotwire this damn thing," she said. "We've got to go save Rob and Julia."  
  
  
  
  
Locarno was gratified to find that Ensign Rawlins was every bit the helm officer he'd expected her to be. The African-American woman's maneuvers were just what was needed to keep the _Aurora_ alive and in the fight, and she showed great judgement in shifting the ship's relative positioning and attitude.  
  
But there was only so much she could do to alleviate the numbers difference, as fire was coming at them from multiple directions. Disruptor fire brought their shields down further. "Shields now at twenty percent," Tra'dur warned.  
  
That was not good. What was worse was the other vessels. Again the spinal mounts of the Nazi dreadnought fired. The _Heydrich_ 's beams were now targeting the _Melissa Steiner_. The FedCom battlecruiser's overtaxed shields couldn't resist a full barrage of all three, but they managed to twist their ship to make the third beam only glance against the hull. Nevertheless the shields of the cruiser were brought to the brink of failure, and the fire it was taking would ensure they failed soon.  
  
The _Charleston_ was in even worse shape. Despite Captain Asmund's best tactics, the _Excelsior_ -class ship's shields were gone. Disruptor beams carved through her big drive hull and missiles blasted holes through her saucer section. Locarno was aggrieved at the sight of the Starfleet ship, which he knew was not going to live long.  
  
And yet… they still had a hope. His eyes glanced toward the clock and back to the holotank. They'd remained alive this long, and their maneuvers had the SS ships out of formation trying to finish them off.  
  
_Thirty two and a half minutes_ …  
  
The ship shook again. "Eighteen percent shields!"  
  
A second after the thirty-three minute mark, Locarno was relieved to hear al-Rashad call out "Subspace ripple! Someone's jumping in… it's the _Pegasus!_ "  
  
_Battlestar Pegasus_ reappeared in high orbit of New Liberty in a flash of light. The moment after, Vipers and Raptors seemed to explode from her launch tubes and hangers, with a speed that rivaled the best the Colonial Navy ever managed. Some of the Vipers burned hard for the fighter battle, where the outnumbered remaining wings of the _Aurora_ and _Melissa Steiner_ were holding off the greater numbers of the SS fighters. The others kept formation with the hard-burning Raptors, on course for the nearest SS cruiser.  
  
The next-nearest belonged to _Pegasus_ herself. In her CIC, a fully-uniformed Kendra Shaw ordered, "Fire on target!". The _Pegasus_ ' bow lit up with thick sapphire pulses from the Darglan-tech pulse plasma cannons the ship had been refitted with. Their target, a _Sedan_ -class cruiser already weakened fighting the dying _Charleston_ , suffered a shield collapse halfway through the volley. Entire chunks of the cruiser's black hull were blown away by the impacts. The _Charleston_ , not dead yet, turned and fired a full salvo of photon torpedoes into her tormentor, adding to the carnage besetting the ship. A final burst of phaser fire, joined by a barrage from the _Pegasus_ , finished the cruiser off.  
  
The Raptors fired their first salvo a moment later. A barrage of naqia-enhanced torpedoes slammed into the faltering shields of their target, another Nazi heavy cruiser. Said shields flickered ruby red until they collapsed, allowing several torpedoes to impact directly on the cruiser's hull. Flame and debris erupted from the new wounds in the black hull. One of the torpedoes annihilated the swastika insignia entirely.  
  
On the _Aurora_ , the _Pegasus_ ' return was a morale boost. _The battle might not be so unwinnable now…_ thought Locarno, before he began giving orders to exploit the _Pegasus_ ' entry into the battle.  
  
  
  
  
Amidst the ruin of the Temple offices, Ledosh and Goras exchanged another series of strikes. Goras' technique as a swordsman was far superior, albeit rusty, while Ledosh had more experience with the weapons they were wielding. Given the gap in their dueling abilities, it was a major reason why the fight was still raging.  
  
The other was that Ledosh, while not the best with a blade, was more attuned to the life energy within and around him. He combined his attacks with that power, knocking Goras back or channeling energy to hold him in place, forcing Goras to concentrate on his own abilities to break free.  
  
With their lightsabers locked again, Ledosh said, "You have truly fallen, Goras. You revel in this darkness."  
  
"I do. It is the _true_ path for our people. I have had the scales thrown from my eyes, Ledosh. I have seen the truth. Swenya was a fraud!"  
  
Goras pushed off, forcing Ledosh back. Ledosh dodged the next blow and then parried the one after it. "Is this what the Brotherhood has told you?"  
  
The reply from Goras was a smirk. "I can sense the curiosity in you, Ledosh. You, too, have learned more about what Swenya has done to our people."  
  
"She gave us unity. She gave us hope, she made us a better people!"  
  
" _Lies!_ " Goras hissed. " _She deceived us!_ " With fury he drove back Ledosh again. "We were a strong people and she shackled us to her dogma!"  
  
"She gave our people a new future!" Ledosh shouted before parrying another blow from Goras. "She saved us from the Darkness!"  
  
"She was nothing but Reshan's puppet!" spat Goras. "To spread alien dogmas!"  
  
"No. No, that is a twisted claim," Ledosh replied. "Reshan taught her how to reach the Flow of Life, but Swenya forged her own path. She made us what we are!"  
  
"She made us weak! _She was not even one of us!_ "  
  
With that Goras' power surged and he slammed Ledosh with it. Ledosh recovered quickly and parried Goras' powerful blow.  
  
But the blow's power was the point. It forced Ledosh's blade away from the center of his body. Goras' foot came up and slammed into Ledosh's knee. Ledosh didn't go down from the blow, but it left him unbalanced and reeling. In one fluid move Goras' blade whirled in his hand, moving into position so that he could drive it into Ledosh's chest. Ledosh's eyes widened as the pain from the mortal blow filled him. He let out a rasping sound in the moment Goras pulled the blade from his chest. He collapsed at Goras' feet.  
  
"Go to oblivion in this knowledge, Ledosh," Goras rasped. "The Order will die. Swenya's legacy will be wiped from Gersal and our people. Kohbal's way _will_ triumph. And your beloved pupil and those Humans she trained? _They are going to die_ , and with it, your _precious_ Prophecy!"  
  
Ledosh tried to gasp something in reply, but he couldn't find the breath. All he could do was watch as Goras walked away.  
  
  
  
  
Meridina was back at the courtyard when she felt it. She felt Ledosh's pain and knew he'd been struck down. The pain of that fact… for a moment it overwhelmed her. Ledosh taught her everything. He set her on the path she was following, the path to bring about the Prophecy of the Dawn. To herald a new age for their people.  
  
Now he was dying. At the hands of one of their own. The pain worsened, joined by a hot anger at Goras for his treachery. For turning against the Light.  
  
The courtyard battle was still raging, fallen forms in black robes as well as the blues and greens of the Order, but the Cylons were on the defensive. Her father, ignoring a wound to his leg and to his side, ran his shining blade through another of the male Cylons, killing his foe instantly. Another of the _Mastrasham_ absorbed the lightning from one of the Cylons long enough for a Knight to strike the dark-haired man down.  
  
Meridina's lightsaber came up and she met one of the D'anna models. The woman's yellow eyes burned with fury, but her arm was wounded and her skill poor. Meridina easily parried two blows and drove her blade into the Cylon's chest, killing her. She came up to where her father was finishing off one of the Cavils. "Hajamar is evacuating the Initiates," she said. "The Cylons may be planning to destroy the Temple!"  
  
Karesl took the news grimly. "Then we should evacuate too."  
  
The urgency of that was made clear the next moment as, one by one, the living Cylons were pulled away by the bright light burst of transporters.  
  
  
  
  
Gersal's orbital space was a debris field of shattered vessels. More and more of those ships were Cylon vessels, with Gersallian and now Dorei ships responding to the attack. A handful of Alliance starships, led by one of the _Excalibur_ -class battlecruisers dropped out of warp next, coming in from the system zenith to cut off the Cylons' options for maneuver.  
  
Even as the fighting grew intense, the central Basestar of the Cylon fleet stopped firing on the enemies in orbit. A brace of missiles descended toward the planet.  
  
  
  
  
Below, the sense of danger filled every Knight in the courtyard. All understood precisely what was happening… and that there was little they, in their exhausted state, could do to stop it.  
  
Then they, too, started to be snatched away by transporter, while beyond the Temple two ships emerged from the damaged bays of the Temple's private spaceport. One was a blocky personnel transport, the other the runabout _Rio Grande_.  
  
Aboard the _Rio_ , Gina and Talara piloted the vessel free while Lucy frantically worked the transporter, going as fast as she could get the arrivals off. _There are so many left, I know Hajamar is getting the others, but can we get them all?_  
  
The answer was no, no they couldn't.  
  
"There's a ship decloaking in the atmosphere above us," Gina said. "It's firing on the incoming missiles!"  
  
"How well?"  
  
"It's already destroyed the first wave. Now it's going for the second. The Basestar is launching fighters…"  
  
Lucy drew in a breath and, upon the feeling inside of her, made her decision. "Talara, swing us back around! Land in the courtyard, we're letting them board directly!"  
  
Talara didn't need to have the order repeated. She obeyed. "The _Lankam's Word_ is hailing, Sergeant Hajamar wishes to know what we're doing."  
  
"Saving as many as we can," was Lucy's answer. "And Talara, when we launch, don't hesitate to hit full impulse."  
  
"Understood." Talara said nothing about the usual regulations against full impulsor use in atmosphere, with all of the negative effects it could have. The situation made those effects moot.  
  
The _Rio Grande_ descended onto the courtyard. Lucy continued beaming in people even as they landed and the door opened. Outside Karesl and Meridina guided people in.  
  
"The second wave of missiles has been destroyed," Gina reported. "Another two waves coming in, and the ship above is being attacked by fighters."  
  
"Do we have its energy signature on profile?"  
  
"Checking, but nothing yet. We're cut off from the Alliance database," Gina replied.  
  
Moment by moment more robed individuals entered. Some in green robes carried the wounded.  
  
"Third wave destroyed." Gina blinked. "That ship above is something else. Direct hits from the Cylon raiders are barely damaging the shields."  
  
By this point the runabout was reaching peak capacity. Outside one of the elderly green-robed figures stopped and stepped to the side of the entrance. Meridina looked at him with concern. " _Mastrash_ Otanam?"  
  
"You and your father should go, Meridina," the old man said. "You have your own destiny, and your father is the last of the Council. The Order will need you to rebuild."  
  
"I am not leaving," Karesl insisted. "Not until all others are aboard." He said this even as it was blatantly clear the runabout was filling to capacity.  
  
Inside Gina called out, "Fourth missile wave destroyed. Another Cylon basestar is firing!" The console blinked. "Incoming hail. I think it's from the other ship."  
  
"Put them on," Lucy insisted, as she weaved through the others to the airlock door. She found Karesl and Meridina there, facing the others who had now stopped boarding. "We're almost at standing room only. Let's go!"  
  
From within, the comm system played a distorted voice. " _Fools! Launch now! I cannot stop them all!_ "  
  
"I cannot abandon so many," Karesl insisted. As he spoke another pair were pulled away by transporter, presumably the _Lankam's Word_.  
  
"Then we will not board," another of the Knights said. "Not until you and Meridina are aboard."  
  
"I am not even in the Order anymore," Meridina pointed out. "I have made my choice."  
  
"You chose to follow your _swevyra_ , as the Order trained," said Otanam. "And you are working with the Bearers of the Dawn, daughter of the Lumantala. You _must_ survive this day."  
  
It was clear to both that the others would not break, and every moment spent not boarding would simply cost them more time.  
  
Father and daughter alike had tears in their eyes as they stepped into the runabout. Lucy gestured them in, as she did the Knights and others who followed. Finally there was clearly no more room behind her. The runabout was at capacity. Lucy's mind raced, considering what Scotty had done with transporter cycles. _But it takes time to rig them like that, we don't have that time!_  
  
"Go, Lucilla Lucero," _Mastrah_ Otanam said. "You are a Bearer of the Dawn. Your destiny awaits."  
  
The only thing Lucy could think of to say was, "I'm sorry." Knowing she could save no more, and hating every moment of it, she closed the airlock door. "Lift off!" she cried.  
  
Talara responded immediately. The _Rio Grande_ took off. One of the younger apprentices offered to stand in the airlock, allowing Lucy to weave her way back to the cockpit. Seeing Talara and Gina had everything in hand, she went to the back. Meridina and Karesl were crowded in with the others. Healers were working on the badly wounded, who were provided the beds and the table. Other wounded were allowed the chairs, and the place gave Lucy bad memories of the trucks that the Duffys would pack full of illegal immigrants to work on their farms.  
  
_The unknown ship has gone_ , Gina projected. _The missiles are almost to impact. Five, four, three_ …  
  
Lucy blocked out the countdown. She activated a monitor to show the feed from the rear-facing sensors. With it she could see the battered, familiar buildings of the Great Temple, majestic even with the damage they'd suffered. She could sense all of those left behind, the _Lankam's Word_ 's transporters grabbing them away as quickly as it could. Those remaining worked to find peace with themselves, knowing their deaths were coming. She felt obligated to watch, as if it let her be with them in their final moments.  
  
And then the temple vanished from the screen. Repeated bright lights represented atomic initiations, one after the other, the ship's computers keeping the flashes from becoming blinding. All of those lives winked out in a sudden, terrible moment. Lucy's cheeks ran hot with tears. She heard some sobs from the others, silent weeping, a cry of despair… and felt Meridina's heart simply break. She worked her way over to Meridina and took her free hand while the blasts became an ominous mushroom cloud over what had been the Great Temple.  
  
"The Library, the Forge, the Council Hall. Swenya's Relics…"  
  
"...are safe," Lucy said quietly. "They're packed in storage. I… I made sure to grab them."  
  
Many heard her. She was almost overwhelmed with the gratitude they felt for her.  
  
But Meridina was unconsolable. "All of our knowledge and history. It's lost."  
  
"But the Order is not," Karesl assured Meridina, holding his grieving daughter close. "And we will rebuild."  
  
Meridina heard him, but it did not stop the pain in her heart at the deaths of so many, the loss of so much. She quietly began to sob.  
  
  
  
  
In the foyer of the New Liberty Government Building, Robert kept looking from Fassbinder to Beth as he writhed on the floor in pain. He could feel Fassbinder's cruel satisfaction, his enjoyment of Robert's pain, of his fear for his cousin, and of Beth's realization she was about to die.  
  
"I think that's enough," the SS officer said, still channeling the lightning into Robert's body. " _Rottenführer_ , kill the degenerate."  
  
In desperation Robert tried to fight back again, but the cold, deadly energy cascading through him kept him from doing so. He felt like his life was being drained away second by second. He was helpless.  
  
He'd failed. He could do nothing to save Beth.  
  
Beth closed her eyes and stifled the sob in her throat. He could feel her determination to die with whatever dignity she could manage, rather than let the Nazis enjoy it.  
  
Seconds passed, in which Robert struggled to break from the lightning. He sensed Fassbinder's bewilderment, Beth's patience… why was she alive?  
  
" _Rottenführer_ , _schießen!_ " Fassbinder bellowed, briefly directing his attention away from Robert and the lightning he was channeling into him.  
  
But the Nazi didn't. He simply stared ahead. Slowly the disruptor pistol he'd held to the back of Beth's head lowered. As it did, blood started to pour from his nose and his lip, the latter from how tightly he was biting into it. Then crimson fluid started trickling from his eyeballs.  
  
Robert felt the pain recede and realized the same was true for Fassbinder's lieutenants. The two other sources of the lightning cascading through him were gone. The SS men were themselves locked in place, bleeding from the eyes and nose and mouth.  
  
A moment later, all three dropped dead.  
  
Beth heard his body fall. Her eyes snapped open in bewilderment, not to mention amazement that she was still alive.  
  
And then a Hebrew-accented voice sounded through the foyer. “ _Shabbat shalom_ , Nazi _schmucks_.” Then more Nazis started dying. Max was standing in the foyer with death in and coming from his eyes. The small form of Golmar Kuhln stood in front of him, and Colin behind. They lashed out with their minds launching invisible attack probes at the minds of the SS men in the room. Max was lethal enough on his own, but Golmar was somewhere in the liminal space between P12 and P13, and Colin was a fully trained Psi Cop with over a decade of experience tearing consciousnesses asunder. The Nazis were shown no mercy.  
  
Max was particularly fond of making them shoot each other. He seized control of two NCOs, respected by their men, and reveled in their existential horror as their bodies were moved like puppets on a string to shoot their own comrades in the face.  
  
Colin was more utilitarian than that, efficiently attacking their minds, directly erasing their ability to breath, stopping their hearts cold while they were still conscious, lobotomizing them into _Schutzstaffel_ zucchinis.  
  
Golmar was particularly brutal. He didn't use simple fast attack probes. He simply scanned them en masse, sending Nazis to the floor in fully-conscious seizures until their brains literally burned out.  
  
It took a moment for the _Panzergrenadier_ to figure out what was going on and orient on them to begin firing, but Colin put a stop to that. He locked every skeletal muscle in their bodies into contraction until bones broke and tendons snapped, they fell, their armor contorting around them as their own movements overwhelmed the mechanical assist the armor provided and important pieces broke.  
  
Under normal circumstances the mind-screams and open-shut sensations of souls departing the mortal coil would disturb a telepath, traumatize them. Not this time. These were Nazis, and it didn’t matter what you did to them, the screaming, audible or otherwise, was reinterpreted into music.  
  
An angry, frustrated look came over Fassbinder, but he couldn't hide the emotion he also felt: fear. He'd learned enough about telepaths to know even the abilities he'd learned weren't an absolute protection. There were many things those with life force powers could do that telepaths couldn't, but in terms of mental powers, telepaths had the clear advantage. Robert smiled at him and, with Fassbinder's doubt interfering with his channeling of his power, Robert was able to focus his own. He forced himself to a knee and, with his arm struggling and twitching, reclaimed his lightsaber from the floor and brought it back up, using the emerald blade to absorb the crackling lightning.  
  
Fassbinder’s minions within the SS were dropping like flies. Some silently, some died screaming shot by their own comrades, others died writhing in agony, but there were very few left after a few seconds. Some of them tried to shoot back but there was something about the telepaths that kept their eyes from being able to focus on them. As if their minds simply couldn’t pay attention to the telepath’s existence, no matter what was done to them. Then, threat of being overwhelmed eliminated, Colin turned his attention to Fassbinder.  
  
“ _Guten Tag, Evolutionsbremse!_ ” Colin said, beaming, and laid siege to Fassbinder’s brain.   
  
The telepathic attack was the last straw. Fassbinder felt the Psi Cop begin to rip through his defenses as if they were barely there, his will to resist mental intrusion and his own terror feeding his defenses were the only things keeping him alive and both were buckling with startling alacrity. Almost faster than he could process. His lightning stopped and he threw himself faster than any normal human could move out of the room, breaking line of sight before Colin could finish the job.  
  
“ _Ja, du Feigling! Fliehe vor dem Homosexuellen, dem 'minderwertigen' Liliputaner, und dem Juden!_ " Colin shouted after him in his mother tongue, mocking him.  
  
_Lilliputian Colin? Really?_ Golmar gave him the side-eye. Colin shrugged.  
  
_It’s better than midget, and I never claimed to win insult contests._  
  
Anger and frustration filled Fassbinder, giving Robert a beacon to home in on. He jumped up to the foyer's second floor and took off after Fassbinder. The chase took him through the halls of the building, halls that became progressively more damaged until, finally, he got to the large wound in the structure. Fassbinder was already outside, running for the trade association building. Robert leapt down, hitting the ground with a small shockwave of air, and took off after him. " _Fassbinder!_ " he shouted, his lightsaber at the ready. His face twisted into an angry expression. After all of this devastation, it was time to put Fassbinder down. Time to…  
  
Fassbinder rounded the corner of the association building. As Robert approached it, he heard a vaguely familiar humming sound. And like that, Fassbinder's dark essence was no longer here.  
  
Fassbinder getting away was bad enough. But Robert could sense that the danger wasn't over, not by a longshot.  
  
  
  
  
One of the SS destroyers vanished in a white fireball after being speared by the plasma beams coming from the _Aurora_ 's starboard side. This left the SS dreadnought in an increasingly precarious position given it was getting increased attention from the _Pegasus_ ' air wing. Only one of the cruisers remained intact, and it was currently taking fire from the _Melissa Steiner_. The _Charleston_ was effectively dead in space, too damaged to continue fighting, its surviving crew scrambling to restore power and maneuvering.  
  
For a moment Locarno thought the _Heydrich_ would attack the _Charleston_ and finish it off. But he noticed its maneuvers turned it in the wrong direction to do that. More importantly, for the moment weapons fire seemed to be suddenly striking the ship. "Are there shields down?"  
  
"Confirmed, sir," al-Rashad remarked. "But it looks like they lowered… I'm detecting transporter signatures. They're beaming up individuals from the surface."  
  
"All fire on the dreadnought, now!"  
  
Syrandi's hands flew over the console and Rawlins turned the _Aurora_ to bring her bow weapons to bear. Their fire started blasting away the dreadnought's armor. One of the plasma beams sliced away at a smaller disruptor emitter, destroying it.  
  
"The spinal mounts are charging," Tra'dur noted. "It looks… it appears the SS dreadnought is targeting the Colony."  
  
Locarno paled. In its current state, the Colony's defenses were out. It would be destroyed with a single super-disruptor discharge. "Put us between them, _now_!"  
  
Rawlins obeyed. The _Aurora_ 's engines went to full and under the young woman's guidance the ship maneuvered into position. The arrival was just in the nick of time, as three powerful lances of disruptor energy slammed into the _Aurora_ 's shields. Weakened as they were, they collapsed immediately, and much of the damage was taken on the armor. "Shields are completely down," Tra'dur said. "Generator overloads. Damage on Deck 35, multiple sections. Enemy shields are back up and they're charging for another shot!"  
  
"Keep us in place," Locarno demanded, knowing full well the _Aurora_ 's armor could only take one, maybe two more hits before the ship was wrecked. It was still time for something to happen…  
  
"Jump points opening!" al-Rashad announced, a moment before the disruptors fired again. They lanced into the belly of the _Aurora_ , scouring armor and inflicting damage on the lower decks. Locarno didn't need Tra'dur's damage report to know they probably couldn't take another hit.  
  
"On screen," he demanded, wondering if these were reinforcements or the SS coming to finish them off.  
  
The holo-viewer shifted to show the swirling green vortices that the incoming ships had created to transition between universes. From each vortex ships emerged. A handful were vessels of the Alliance.  
  
But it was quickly clear that they had merely opened the jump points for the bulk of the ships arriving. They were of myriad design, a regular hodgepodge of ships and almost all from the M4P2 universe. The most common design were ships with bow sections that looked like wheels, with the rest of the hull trailing from behind. Locarno recognized those immediately, even if he'd only seen them a few times.  
  
"Tac comm links being established," Tra'dur confirmed.  
  
An accented voice distorted by an electronic vocoder came over the line. " _This is Admiral Hans'Gerrel to Heavy Fleet ships. Engage the enemy dreadnought_."  
  
Locarno recognized the name and accent immediately. _The Quarians!_  
  
Another voice spoke, this one female, with the same Quarian accent. " _This is Admiral Shala'Raan. Patrol ships, move forward. Protect our allies._ "  
  
Turreted guns tracked toward the _Heydrich_ and began to blaze away. Some were mass effect cannons, others fired phasers and disruptors and plasma, reflecting the Quarians' readiness to adopt technology from multiple sources.  
  
The _Heydrich_ took the brunt of the Quarian assault. The middling damage taken during the time she was recovering forces from the Colony hadn't been much, but it degraded the shield capacity of the Nazi dreadnought enough that the sudden overwhelming barrage from the incoming Quarians began to make localized penetrations of their shields. Other Quarian vessels moved ahead to engage the remaining light ships, clearing them away from the drifting _Charleston_ and the nearly-crippled _Melissa Steiner_. Hans'Gerrel's heavy ships not only pounded away at the _Heydrich_ but at the last of the intact cruisers as well. The _Pegasus_ joined them in finishing off the _Tannenburg_ -class ship. One of the Quarian mass effect rounds penetrated into the Nazi vessel's fuel bunkerage, turning the ship into a massive white flare from the destructive release of antimatter.  
  
For a moment Locarno thought the dreadnought would fire again, leaving the _Aurora_ as badly off as the other ships, but the dreadnought's commander realized his predicament. The Quarians' fire was too heavy, too vigorous, and certainly too numerous for his deflectors. They would fail completely if he didn't get away. The dreadnought turned away from the Colony, and the battered _Aurora_. A green vortex began to form ahead of it. "All sensors on that vortex, _now_ ," Locarno urged.  
  
"Permission to fire?" Luneri asked.  
  
"No. I need that jump point stable, we have to find out where they're going!" Locarno answered.  
  
The other remaining SS ships were also fleeing, although few would do so successfully given the volume of fire they were taking. The dreadnought made good its escape. Locarno looked to al-Rashad, who sighed and nodded. "I got what I could," she confirmed. "It looks like they jumped for… C1P2."  
  
That brought a small frown to Locarno. "A double jump," he said. "That's what they're doing."  
  
"And the likelihood that we would jump near enough to catch them before they jumped out again is infinitesimally small," Tra'dur noted, her calm voice hiding frustration that the attackers would get away. "And our warp drive is down, so we wouldn't be able to intercept them even if we were close."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Locarno sighed. "Send out a warning to the C1P2 patrols, maybe they'll spot something." He allowed his hands to cease gripping the command chair arms so tightly. "Signal our thanks to the Quarians and the other reinforcements, and to _Pegasus_ for their timely return."  
  
"Yes Commander."  
  
Locarno tapped at his comm controls. " _Aurora_ to, well, anyone still down there. The SS have withdrawn. The Colony is safe."  
  
Somehow, even as he said it, he wondered if that last line was ever going to be true again.  
  
  
  
  
Far from Gersal, a lone ship drifted quietly in real-space. Inside the cockpit a dark-robed figure again activated her comm system. The blue hologram of her master appeared. " _I have heard the reports Tisiphone. The attack was as fierce as I sensed it would be_."  
  
"Indeed, my Master."  
  
" _Did you acquire it?_ "  
  
"I did." Tisiphone brought up her hand, and the lightsaber hilt it held. "Swenya's Blade now belongs to you."  
  
A pleased expression came to her master's face. " _Now I will get an equal say in the matter. Return to Xanadu. We have much to prepare for, my Fury_."  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
Moments later, the ship formed an interuniversal jump point and departed Gersallian space.  
  
  
**Tag**  
  
  
  
From across the N2S7 universe, and indeed from other universes, ships were converging on Gersal. Hospital ships, liners and transports carrying relief workers, doctors, nurses, engineers and rebuilding specialists… everything. In orbit Stellar Navy and Gersallian military teams were already sorting through the wreckage of destroyed ships and orbiting facilities, as well as the remnants of destroyed Cylon Basestars.  
  
On Gersal itself, the attack was over, but the shock was still reverberating across the planet. The death toll was going to reach to the million mark just from the light bombardments against urban targets. The atomic attacks guaranteed it could spike to well over ten times that.  
  
From the living quarters of the Lumantala family, Lucy and Talara quietly looked out at the cityscape. Damaged and fallen buildings were everywhere. The Interdependency government had a planetwide state of emergency in effect as cleanup efforts commenced. As always the Gersallians were coming together as a community. It was almost instinctive to them, the desire to make themselves and others feel better, to find balance in the needs and wants of all. But now it was joined by a fragility Lucy never felt in them. The Gersallians felt… _vulnerable_.  
  
Which, given the situation, was not a surprise.  
  
Nearby Drentiya and Leniraya were tending to Meridina. She shook her head quietly while, nearby, her father examined the dagger pulled from Hadisina's body. "All gone," she murmured.  
  
"She is not just referring to the Temple," Talara observed. "What else…"  
  
"The Temple of Perception," Lucy said, recalling said temple. "And Trubin, and the Temple of Birth. The Cylons hit them with nukes too. The Temple is one thing, it's out in the countryside, but Trubin… it's a… _was_ a fairly-sized city. Over a million people lived there. They didn't have a chance…"  
  
"How could this have happened?" Talara asked. "Surely defenses…"  
  
"They were compromised," Karesl said. His voice was bitter, brittle. He set the dagger down beside him, his emotional control straining. "The Brotherhood sabotaged our defenses for the Cylons. They're working together."  
  
"They're not just working together. They're… one and the same, I think," said Lucy. "They've been hiding for thousands of years. Probably waiting for this chance."  
  
"The Order still stands. You saved dozens of our people," Karesl said. "We will recover."  
  
"But we will never be the same," Meridina murmured, glancing at her omnitool now. "And we have a greater foe than the Cylons and Brotherhood. Or rather, their new confederates."  
  
Lucy blinked. "What?"  
  
Meridina responded by relaying the message to Lucy's omnitool. She stared in horror at the report. "New Liberty, they hit… the _freaking SS hit New Liberty?!_ "  
  
"We have already seen indications that they have links to the Cylons. Now they are confirmed. The darkest of our foes, together…" Meridina shook her head. "The Alliance may never be the same again."  
  
As they spoke Talara opened the pack there and pulled out the two books. She marveled at the lovely calligraphy on the _Life of Reshan_. Inside of it she found a sheath of notes scribbled in very basic Gersallian. Karesl noticed them. "My thanks to you for getting that volume to safety," he said. "It is one of those we did not have a digital backup of."  
  
"Then the other books…"  
  
"Lost," said Meridina. "As is all of the artwork. The catacombs of our greatest. The Forge, where we train to build our weapons, was the work of Gersal's finest architects. They're all gone now. The Cylons, the Brotherhood, they have left us with little save our lives." Her fists clenched from the heartache. "I know I must be strong. I…"  
  
As she broke down weeping again, it was Karesl who went over and cared for her. "This has been the darkest day in the Order since Kohbal fell to darkness," he said. "But the Light is still with us. Many of the others live. The Order can and will rebuild, and in large part thanks to you, daughter."  
  
"There is more to this book than its rarity," said Gina. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh has been studying it for over a year. He tracked down Gartanam's volume to help him translate the meanings of the older dialect."  
  
"He said it was crucial to finding Reshan's knowledge," Lucy said. "And something about protecting a circle. Not letting the Cylons break it."  
  
"I'm not sure what he means," Karesl admitted. "On this matter Ledosh, I am afraid to say, kept his own counsel. It is clear now he cannot be blamed. More than any of us, he may have sensed the hand of the Brotherhood." For a moment Karesl seemed deep in thought. He turned to Lucy. "Lucilla Lucero, I entrust the _Life of Reshan_ to you."  
  
Lucy blinked. "You do?"  
  
"We cannot be certain the Brotherhood did not leave agents who might seize the book from Gersal," Karesl noted. "It will be safer with you. And you and Meridina can continue Ledosh's research. Gina Inviere can assist."  
  
"Of course."  
  
There was an unspoken tension between them. Karesl spoke with a soft tone to relieve it. "I sense your feeling of loss for the death of your teacher, Gina. For now, I would like you to go with Meridina and Lucy. Finish your training with them."  
  
"There's more to it than that, _Mastrash_ Karesl."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Talara was briefly confused, but Lucy made it clear to her mentally. Other Cylons of Gina's model were among the attackers. Members of the Order had seen their own struck down by an enemy with Gina's face. They had fought with that enemy. While Gina's innocence was undeniable, there would likely be an unconscious tension between her and the others. With emotions so raw, it was best for all if Gina came to the _Aurora_. "We could use you," Lucy said aloud. "Robert can officially sign you on as a member of his operations team."  
  
"I will gladly join him," said Gina. She smiled despite her bitterness. "It is much the same work I expected as a Knight, after all."  
  
"One thing still troubles me," said Karesl. "You state one of the Cylons betrayed the others to aid you?"  
  
"Yes," said Talara. "She struck them down to aid us. The way she spoke, it was clear she is not in league with them."  
  
"Whoever she was, she may have been the one who saved the people of New Caprica by killing the Cylon who was left to release poison gas into their bunkers," Lucy added. "Did she say who she was?"  
  
"She compared herself to Gina, and when pressed, called herself Athenina."  
  
Karesl's eyes widened. From the chair Meridina looked up in surprise. Noticing this reaction, Lucy asked, "Okay, so why are you looking like that? You recognize the name?"  
  
"Yes," said Karesl. "From the historical texts. Athenina… she is a figure in Gersallian history."  
  
"Oh? What was she? Who?"  
  
"The apprentice of _Mastrash_ Kohbal," Meridina answered.  
  
  
  
  
The cleanup effort began the moment the shooting ended. While some of the residents were too shellshocked to act, many went to the work of rebuilding their colony, their home. Hernan de Corelo's militia aided in securing the Colony while Broots and Jarod undid the sabotage inflicted by the SS, allowing communications to be restored. This accomplishment was what allowed Jarod to observe when Broots was tearfully reunited with his terrified daughter, who was among the many children that the schools brought into the bunkers as soon as the attack began.  
  
It gave way to his own tearful reunion with Sydney and Emily, his sister. With his father off-world and safe, it meant Jarod had not faced the loss so many others in the Colony were facing with the attack over.  
  
In their post-attack efforts the people of New Liberty were quickly joined by a people they'd yet to meet, as increasing numbers of envirosuit-clad Quarians arrived by transporter or shuttle to aid in the rebuilding process. They focused on the technical issues, repairing and rerouting utility systems to restore power, running water, and other vital services. The other starships in orbit sent what help they could manage, although most of the aid was from the relatively-undamaged _Pegasus_.  
  
The Government Building, damaged as it was, remained the nerve center of this effort. While doing what she could to direct the recovery Beth was getting her wounds treated by medical staff from the Colony Hospital, a process only interrupted when Annabelle arrived. "Oh Beth," Annebelle wept, rushing to her wife and embracing her. "I was so worried for you."  
  
Beth's eyes filled with tears. "I was worried about you. They were killing everyone."  
  
Robert arrived at that point. He felt relief that Annabelle was okay. Behind him, a line of the dignitaries Beth brought to safety approached. He felt their consternation, even shame, at what Beth had endured for saving them. Sonek Pran stepped to the forefront, flanked by Princess Syrina, Director Anjilo, Isis Marik, and Princess Yvonne. "Governor Rankin, on behalf of everyone who came to the summit, we thank you for doing so much to save our lives," Pran said solemnly. "It warms all of our hearts to see you survived."  
  
"Thank you, Mister Ambassador," Beth replied. Even here, diplomacy mattered.  
  
"New Liberty is not alone," said Yvonne. "The people of the Commonwealth will aid in your recovery, however we can."  
  
"As will the Federation, and all of those assembled," Pran added. "We will show the Multiverse that your people are not without friends, and the strength of the values we all uphold."  
  
"Thank you again, Mister Ambassador. Thanks to all of you. We will humbly accept any aid available in our rebuilding," Beth said. Her voice was somber and withdrawn. Robert could sense that she felt everything to be almost unreal, and her survival the most unreal thing of all.  
  
"Director, my condolences to your people," Beth added, looking to Anjilo.  
  
The male Gersallian, his complexion a mocha color close to Annabelle's, nodded. "My thanks, Governor. We have both suffered today."  
  
"The enemy struck at Gersal and New Liberty because you are both potent symbols of the Alliance," Princess Syrina asserted in accented English. The Dorei woman looked as regal as she sounded, and there was no denying the angry fire in her teal eyes. "We will show them that we are not so easily cowed."  
  
"I think there's more to it than that," Robert said. "Fassbinder has a personal grudge against us."  
  
As he spoke Robert noticed the looks he was getting. He couldn't hide the worry he felt. He noticed the look on Colin's face and didn't bother to hide it from him. Jarod and the others were tracking where Julia went after she fled the Lodge. She'd undoubtedly saved Lee Adama and Jeong Jin-Taek, but that meant facing SS pursuit alone.  
  
There was a tone from Robert's omnitool. He lifted his forearm and tapped the blue light at the back of his left hand. A holo-display screen enlarged to show Admiral Maran. The stress that had so recently left the man's face was back with a vengeance. " _Captain, I've looked over the preliminary reports from New Liberty. I'm grateful that Governor Rankin survived the ordeal._ "  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
" _Consider this forewarning to remain on standby for new orders_ ," Maran said. " _This attack… intelligence suspected the SS had more resources than what we accounted for, but we had no indications they independently developed the IU jump drive. Intelligence believed their goal, if they had more resources, was to flee beyond Reich borders and rebuild elsewhere. We never imagined they achieved this. Their alignment with the Cylons makes them even more dangerous._ "  
  
"It's an alliance of convenience for both, but until it breaks up, they could hit anywhere. And they won't hesitate to attack civilian targets."  
  
" _Agreed. Every world in the Alliance is on full alert. We've begun reactivation procedures for the reserve fleet to ensure we have the resources for the necessary defenses. And every measure will be taken to discover their new base of operations._ "  
  
Robert nodded. "I'll be ready to help with the search, Admiral, just tell me…" He looked up in time to see Jarod walk up. He felt his knees wobble at the look on Jarod's face. "Did you find…?"  
  
Jarod shook his head. "She's gone," was all he said. All he needed to say. But he continued. "There's signs of a struggle, but that's it. Cat's scanning to see if there's any… residue from a vaporization."  
  
A sledgehammer of grief and worry crashed down on Robert's soul. His legs nearly gave out from under him. Colin and Jarod rushed forward to catch him if he fell, but he managed, just managed, to keep his footing.  
  
" _Captain_?" asked Maran.  
  
"She's gone," Robert rasped. "Julia's gone."  
  
  
  
  
With a loud thump, Julia landed on her left side on the deck below her. Zipcuffs kept her wrists bound together at the small of her back, and a similar set kept her ankles immobile. She looked up and kept a blank expression as two gold eyes looked over her.  
  
"Here she is, _Herr Brigadeführer_ ," one of her SS captors said. "She gave us a chase."  
  
"So I see," said Fassbinder. He smiled at Julia before turning away. Her eyes tracked the way he turned, toward a display screen. A voice reported, in German, an incoming communication, and Fassbinder nodded.  
  
On the screen appeared several figures in dark clothing and robes. Julia's eyes widened as she recognized some of the faces: they were Cylons. A Gina model, a Cavil, a Biers, and of that unknown model she'd seen during the New Caprica standoff.  
  
Standing with them were more figures that, after a moment, she recognized. _Goras?!_  
  
" _The Brotherhood of Kohbal thanks the_ Schutzstaffel _for their assistance_ ," said one of the women. Julia was pretty sure she recognized her as Goras' missing apprentice Intalarai, the one Lucy dueled in the Senate.  
  
"And we are thankful for the distraction your attack provided for our own operation."  
  
" _It has been fruitful_ ," said one of the Cavils.  
  
Intalarai nodded. " _After nearly three thousand years, the Brotherhood of Kohbal is whole once more._ " Her wicked smile was full of satisfaction. " _And Swenya's legacy has been wiped from the face of our homeworld._ "  
  
Fassbinder chuckled. "The Alliance trembles in terror at our combined strength," he declared in a delighted tone. "I look forward to the recording of the Great Temple of Swenya being atomized."  
  
Horror and shock nearly choked Julia at that. Meridina, Lucy, and Talara were on Gersal! Were they…?!  
  
" _We have much to plan before we act again_ ," the Cavil model said. " _Until then, may your will continue to dominate the universe around you, Fassbinder._ " With that the image blinked out.  
  
Julia bit back the impulse to call Fassbinder a bastard. She couldn't keep her face from twisting into a scowl.  
  
He nevertheless turned to face her. "I have awaited this day," he said. "Oh, I have long waited to have one of you in my… _care_. The officers of the _Aurora_ , the founders of the Alliance." His expression flashed hatred at her. "Especially now, when you have so much to answer for. Welcome, _Kapitan_ , to your future. Allow me to give you a demonstration of what it will be."  
  
His hands came up and purple-tinged lightning shot from them, enveloping Julia. As her body spasmed and twisted, with cold energy that seemed to be sapping away at her very life, she tried and, after a couple of seconds, failed to bite back a scream of pain.  
  
Fassbinder started to laugh.


End file.
